Feb. 2, 2013

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UCLA Game Notes | Utah Game Notes

THE LAST MEETING

UCLA	65
Utah	60

January 26, 2012
Salt Lake City, Utah

Courageous Bruins Come Back to Gut Out 65-60 Win at Utah Junior Mariah Williams poured in a career-high 21 points and three three-pointers, junior Markel Walker notched her fourth double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds and senior Rebekah Gardner (15) and sophomore Thea Lemberger (13) also scored in double figures, as the Bruins came back to beat Utah 65-60 on Thursday at the Huntsman Center.

Recap | Box Score

Sunday, Feb. 3
12:35 p.m. PT
Utah (11-9, 2-7) at No. 18/19 UCLA (16-4, 7-2)

Online Coverage:
Gametracker | Internet Audio | Video

Audio Talent: Dave Marcus (play-by-play) and Mike Sondheimer (analyst)

STORY LINES
• No. 18/19 UCLA (16-4, 7-2 Pac-12) concludes its four-game homestand on Sunday, Feb. 3 when it hosts the Utah Utes (11-9, 2-7). Tip-off slated for 12:35 p.m.

• After sweeping the Arizona schools at home last week, the UCLA Bruins moved up one spot to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 Poll and one spot to No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. UCLA held steady at No. 15 in the NCAA Women's Basketball RPI (NCAA.com). The Bruins have been ranked at least one week in both polls in each of the past four seasons.

• This is just the seventh meeting between UCLA and Utah with the series tied 3-3. Last year, UCLA won the only meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, 65-60 on Jan. 26, 2012. Mariah Williams poured in a career-high 21 points and three three-pointers, Markel Walker notched a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds and Rebekah Gardner (15) and Thea Lemberger (13) also scored in double figures, as the Bruins came back to beat Utah 65-60 at the Huntsman Center. Williams made eight of her 14 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Gardner tied a career high with five steals, while Lemberger equaled a personal best with six assists. UCLA shot 41.5% (27-65) from the field for the game. The Bruins dressed just seven players. Taryn Wicijowski led four Utes in double figures with 14 points. Michelle Plouffe added five points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Utah.

UCLA IN STATISTICAL RANKINGS
UCLA is third in the Pac-12 in scoring (70.2 ppg) and is third in the Pac-12 and 27th in the country in rebounding margin (+8.0). The Bruins lead the Pac-12 and rank 23rd in the nation in assists (16.3) and also leads the league in steals (11.8), which ranks 29th nationally. UCLA is also third in the Pac-12 in rebounds per game (44.2) and second in offensive rebounds (16.6).

CLOSE CALLS ... BRUINS IN OVERTIME
The UCLA Bruins improved to 3-0 under Head Coach Cori Close in overtime games in her two seasons with last week's 53-52 win in overtime at St. John's (Dec. 16). Last season, the Bruins posted back-to-back overtime wins at Colorado (62-54 on Jan. 29, 2012) and at home versus Washington (79-73 on Feb. 2, 2012).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
Alyssia Brewer has six double-doubles in her first 19 games, which ranks sixth in the Pac-12. Markel Walker has five double-doubles this season, which ranks tied for seventh in the Pac-12. Additionally, the two Bruins have had double-doubles in the same game three times this season. Walker had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the 86-66 win over Loyola Marymount (Dec. 2) while Brewer had 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Lions. Walker later had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the 76-62 win over Saint Mary's (Dec. 15) as Brewer chipped in 12 points and 10 boards against the Gaels. In the loss to Cal State Northridge (Dec. 20), Brewer had 14 points and 12 rebounds with Walker adding 12 points and 12 boards.

MISSING IN ACTION
Only three of the 13 Bruins have played in all 20 games of the 2012-13 season and nobody has started in all of those contests, forcing Head Coach Cori Close to go with nine different starting lineups this season. Rhema Gardner had knee surgery before the season began and has decided to redshirt the season. Thea Lemberger has started all 18 games she has played, but missed the Notre Dame (Nov. 23) and Princeton (Nov. 25) games due to a knee sprain. Lauren Holiday (17 games) and Corinne Costa (14 games) have both missed contests with head injuries. Costa is questionable for this week's games and probable for next week. Holiday has been shut down for the season and will seek a medical hardship after sustaining multiple concussions this year. Kacy Swain missed both of the games in New York with a back injury. Nirra Fields missed the upset win at Oklahoma (Nov. 14) due to personal reasons. Jasmine Dixon missed two games (Princeton on Nov. 25 and Loyola Marymount on Dec. 2) with a left knee sprain. She has played in all other contests, but is only playing 18 minutes per game as she is still suffering from pain in her knee and has occasional swelling. Alyssia Brewer missed most (only played three minutes) of the Pepperdine game (Dec. 28) and missed the entire Saint Joseph's game (Dec. 31) with a right ankle sprain. Most recently, Markel Walker missed the Arizona game (Jan. 25) with back spasms, but returned on Sunday for the Arizona State game (Jan. 27), but managed only two points in 19 minutes. The Bruins have already used 179 different combinations of players on the court at the same time this season. In a total of 805 minutes of game action, the leading combination on the floor in terms of minutes played together is Thea Lemberger, Mariah Williams, Atonye Nyingifa, Markel Walker and Alyssia Brewer, but they have only been on the court at the same time for a total of 61:42.