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UCLA Basketball showed a lot of fight, but fall to Oregon in Pac-12 tourney

By Mike Regalado

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: A basketball is shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: A basketball is shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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After a hard fought battle, the #4 UCLA basketball women’s team force overtime against the #1 Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament, but fall after a few late mishaps.

The tears running down UCLA basketball head coach Cori Close’s face at the postgame presser said it all. Even before she spoke, you could tell what this game and this team means to her.

Though the Close and her Bruins were the 4th ranked team in this tournament, they played as if they were #1 as they were neck-and-neck with Oregon for the majority of this game. But in the waning moments of this Pac-12 quarterfinal game, the Bruins made a few mistakes that wrapped this game up for the Ducks.

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Close’s emotions could not be contained, even as she tried to be that rock for her players she has been all season long, her disappointment was noticeable during her emotional chat with the media. “Sorry. I love these young ladies. I am so proud of their fight. We have a saying in our program: you’re not born for this, you’re built for this.”

UCLA has been impressive over the last two months. After a slow start in the non-conference, the Bruins turned things up a notch when Pac-12 play started. Not only did the Bruns fight their way to 4th place in the standings, but they went 7-2 on the road in conference, beat four ranked conference opponents, and have won 11 of their last 14 games. If anything, this is evidence that Close has built something special with this program.

“It hits me so deeply, they are fighters.”

UCLA entered this game with a lot of momentum and even taking on one of the top teams in the nation did not affect them. This was just another team they had to try and get through.

After falling behind by 10 points halfway through the first quarter, UCLA had buckled down and kept fighting back, slowly making their way back into this game. By halftime, they had closed the gap to six.

In the third quarter, the Bruins really started to pick things up as Kennedy Burke, Japreece Dean, and Michaela Onyenwere, who finished with 27, 22 and 17 points respectively, were the driving force behind the second half push and eventually caught Oregon late in the game.

In the final four minutes of regulation alone, there were four ties and four lead changes as the Bruins and Ducks were exchanging shots like heavyweight fighters. The 4th quarter eventually ended in a 75-75 tie as Onyenwere made a free throw to send the game to OT.

Unfortunately, emotions were running high and they got the best of Close with 3:07 left in extra time when the Bruins’ coach argued (yet another) non-call and received a technical foul. UCLA was up 79-77 at that point, but Oregon tied it as Sabrina Ionescu made the ensuing free throws. As Oregon was award the ball after the technical, they scored again, giving them a four-point swing and the 81-79 lead.

Even though momentum had slipped from their fingers, UCLA did not give up. Burke had tied the game at 83 with a minute left, but Oregon took the lead back after Satou Sabally made a layup and a free throw to go up 86-83. The Bruins still had one final chance, but with four seconds left, Burke had turned the ball over driving to the lane. The Bruins were then forced to foul Oregon and sent them to the line where Ionescu sealed the 88-83 win with two free throws.

As heartbreaking as this game was, UCLA should not hang their heads. They have proven that they can run with the best in the conference and in turn, have proven that they can run with the best in the nation. Knowing this will help them in the NCAA Tournament as the Bruins should get a favorable seeding after building such an impressive resume. Either way, after this painful loss, I fear for whoever the Bruins come across in the Big Dance.