Nov. 28, 2004

Box Score

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three days after beating the top team in the nation, Texas couldn't protect a 17-point lead against a nonconference opponent.

The No. 4 Longhorns continued their early season pattern of following a win with a loss, squandering a large first-half lead and losing 63-60 to UCLA on Sunday.

Noelle Quinn scored the go-ahead basket with 16.7 seconds remaining and finished with 27 points, helping the Bruins rally.

Nikki Blue added 13 points for UCLA (3-1) in the Bruins' first win over a top-10 team since Nov. 20, 1999, a 69-65 victory over then-No. 8 North Carolina.

"In my opinion, we lost it in the first half," said Texas coach Jody Conradt, whose team opened the season with a victory over No. 21 Penn State and then lost at No. 5 Georgia last Sunday. "We allowed UCLA to make some shots, to get confident, to get momentum."

Texas (2-2), which beat Tennessee 74-59 on Thursday, was led by Tiffany Jackson's 19 points and career-best 15 rebounds. Jamie Carey added 15 points, and Annissa Hastings had 11 before fouling out with 2:05 left.

The Longhorns took a 60-59 lead with 33.1 seconds on a driving layup by Carey. After Quinn scored to put UCLA ahead, Texas' Nina Norman missed two free throws with 6 seconds left.

Quinn grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She made two free throws to give UCLA a 63-60 lead with 4.7 seconds remaining. Texas' Heather Schreiber missed a 3-point try from the corner as time expired.

UCLA missed 15 of its first 16 shots and trailed 33-25 at halftime. The Bruins closed within 41-39 on a 3-point by Blue with 11:16 left and tied the score at 43 when freshman Lindsey Pluimer scored to cap a 9-2 run.

"We were kind of rushing our shots early because they played such aggressive defense," UCLA coach Kathy Olivier said. "We talked before the game that it would be a game of runs."