With 14 minutes remaining in the second half, the women’s basketball team appeared destined for victory. Leading by 16 in the last Pacific-10 Conference home game — on the day seniors Taylor Lilley, Micaela Cocks and Lindsey Saffold were honored — everything was going Oregon’s way.
Yet, UCLA (20-7, 13-3) proved there was a reason it was ranked second in the Pac-10. The Bruins blitzed Oregon (16-12, 7-9) with a torrid 23-2 run in the second half en route to a 91-75 victory.
“Tale of two cities,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “Two different games … I don’t have a lot of explanations about why things changed so violently from playing very good to kind of getting cut up. The stats kind of speak for themselves.”
Cocks wasted no time after the opening tip, hitting a three-pointer less than a minute into the game. The senior guard scored Oregon’s first eight points, and the Ducks were off to an encouraging 8-3 start.
The Bruins responded with an 11-2 run of their own, grabbing a 17-13 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the half. Oregon regained the lead less than a minute later, and would not relinquish it before halftime. Paced by Cocks’ 18 first-half points, the Ducks took a 50-46 lead into the intermission.
Oregon’s momentum carried seamlessly into the second half, as Lilley hit a three-pointer to get things started. From there, the Ducks unleashed a flurry of buckets, using a 16-4 run to take a 66-50 lead. It was there that things began to unravel.
Sophomore forward Jasmin Holliday quickly committed her third and fourth fouls, and was forced back to the bench. Suddenly, the Ducks were without one of their best rebounders.
Fouls would continue to be an issue, as junior forwards Victoria Kenyon and Nicole Canepa each picked up their fourth fouls before the 10-minute mark. Without its prominent post players, Oregon could not compete with the Bruins on the boards.
“That’s never good when you’ve got players in foul trouble,” Cocks said. “Especially the ones with size.”
By crashing the boards and sinking crucial free throws, UCLA clawed right back into the game with a 23-2 run that left the crowd stunned. With 7:33 remaining, the Bruins suddenly led 73-68.
“We kind of went on a cold spell offensively,” Lilley said. “Nothing was really flowing, and then defensively they were hitting some shots, and the ones they weren’t making, they were getting their own boards.”
In Westhead’s eyes, the Ducks simply wore down too quickly.
“I think our players played as hard as they could, and then they just ran out of gas,” Westhead said. “They had nothing left to give. Unfortunately, there was way too much time left.”
Oregon never quite recovered from UCLA’s spectacular run, and went on to lose by a misleading score of 91-75.
Cocks finished off her career at McArthur Court in style, scoring 24 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Lilley added 17 points on five three-pointers, while Amanda Johnson registered 13 points, four rebounds, three steals and a career-high five blocks.
The Bruins, meanwhile, were led by a virtuoso performance from Jasmine Dixon. The sophomore forward scored a game-high 31 points to go along with 20 rebounds, 12 of which came on the offensive side of the ball. Junior guard Doreena Campbell added 21 of her own points, and as a team UCLA outrebounded the Ducks 50-23.
In the end, Oregon proved its ability to stay with the Pac-10’s finest, but couldn’t quite seal the deal.
“We played it pretty (well) for a good spell, and then couldn’t hold it,” Westhead said. “Didn’t hold it.”
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