Jan. 2, 1998

LOS ANGELES - The UCLA women's basketball team was unable to withstand a second-half Arizona rally and lost its Pac-10 Conference opener 82-71 to eighth-ranked Arizona in front of 1,015 at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins, which led by as much as seven (27-20), took a 42-40 lead into the locker room at halftime but watched the advantage disappear behind poor shooting (28.1% in the second half) and foul trouble. After UCLA's leading scorer Maylana Martin picked up her fourth personal foul at the 10:29 mark with the score tied at 55, Arizona embarked on a 15-4 run with Martin and Bruin center Janae Hubbard both sitting out with four fouls.

Martin led UCLA with 17 points and nine rebounds. Four other Bruins scored in double figures - Marie Philman (13), Melanie Pearson (11), Aisha Veasley (11) and Erica Gomez (10).

Senior center Marte Alexander keyed the Wildcat second-half surge with 15 points. Alexander finished the game with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Senior forward Adia Barnes scored 14 of her 20 points in the second half as well.

Said UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier, "The seniors for Arizona took over when it counted, and it paid off. Ours didn't do the normal job that they do."

"In the first half, we got behind because of our mental errors, " said Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini, who earned her 100th victory at Arizona tonight. "We addressed that at the half and really challenged our players."

The Bruins' record falls to 5-5, while Arizona moves to 7-2. UCLA will host Arizona State Sunday, Jan. 4 at 2 pm in Pauley Pavilion.