UCLA women’s basketball faced a fellow top-four team in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The No. 3 Bruins played the No. 4 Texas Longhorns in a supreme women’s college hoops showdown. Dylan McNeill of UCLA Wire wrote about the game:
“It’s the beginning of what will be two very competitive games for UCLA. If the Bruins win, they’ll face the winner of Duke-South Carolina, giving them an opportunity to go up against the No. 2 and No. 4 teams in the country in one week. UCLA has already grabbed two ranked wins this season, beating both Oklahoma and North Carolina on neutral courts but the Longhorns will be an even greater challenge for Cori Close’s team.”
UCLA needs tough challenges to prepare for another Final Four run. Texas was more than ready for the Bruins, giving them their first loss of the season. Now we get to find out if a bad day at the office toughens this team for the road ahead.
Here’s how the game unfolded from Vegas:
Final Score — Texas 76, UCLA 65
This game was not complicated at all. Texas played 27 strong minutes, UCLA 13. UCLA can’t wait 27 minutes to finally show up. It’s really that simple. There’s a difference between going through a lull or a rut, and — on the other hand — getting shoved around for the vast majority of the game. The first two and a half quarters felt a lot like the Final Four against UConn. At least UCLA woke up this time and made it a game, but the lesson remains: UCLA will need to respond quickly when punched in the mouth early. It will be fascinating to see how the team responds in its next game.
Texas 64, UCLA 60 — 4:26, 4th quarter
Kiki Rice with two steals and two layups on consecutive possessions. UCLA has allowed just three points to Texas in the past 7:30, and the Bruins are on a 22-3 run going back to the 2:05 mark of the third quarter.
Texas 64, UCLA 54 — 5:57, 4th quarter
UCLA has allowed just three points to Texas in the last six minutes. That’s the standard of effort and toughness the Bruins expect of themselves. They waited far too long to bring it to the court, so they’re still down 10 in spite of this surge. They simply didn’t show up until the three-minute mark of the third quarter.
Battle against the clock
UCLA is finally making the game hard for Texas, not the other way around, but there are only eight minutes left and the deficit is still 12. Can UCLA drive hard to the finish and make Texas sweat?
End 3rd quarter — Texas 62, UCLA 47
For the first time all day, UCLA fights back. The Bruins uncorked a 7-0 run to moderately reduce the Texas lead. They forced three Longhorn turnovers and increased their defensive pressure. Now they have to do that for 10 full minutes just to have any possible chance.
Possessions
Texas is earning so many extra possessions, partly due to the turnover differential, also due to a 12-6 edge on the offensive glass. The Longhorns have a plus-14 shot attempt differential, 51-37, late in the third quarter.
27 minutes, 9 seconds
That’s how long it took UCLA to earn a single free throw in this game.
No spark, no force
UCLA is not playing with force. Texas has put the clamps on the Bruins in every way possible. Turnovers are 14-3, a minus-11 differential for UCLA, and the Bruins still haven’t attempted a single free throw in nearly 30 minutes. They are being straitjacketed without interruption.
Texas 53, UCLA 32 — 5:00, 3rd quarter
Nope, nothing has changed since halftime. The Bruins are running into a brick wall and their first loss of the season.
Halftime — Texas 45, UCLA 25
Wow. No one saw this coming. UCLA was completely run out of the building in the first half. One made 3-pointer, zero free throws, a minus-9 turnover differential (10-1), and a minus-10 shot attempt differential (37-27) reflected Texas’s total control of the Bruins. Now we get to find out what Cori Close and this team do in the locker room at halftime and then in the second half.
Smothered
Only one Bruin, Charlisse Leger-Walker, has more than two points with 2:34 left before halftime. That is one of many indicators of how badly UCLA is getting outplayed.
Texas 29, UCLA 14 — 4:46, 2nd quarter
UCLA was not prepared. Texas has swarmed the Bruins from the start. Texas has eight more field goal attempts, seven fewer turnovers, and has not allowed a single free throw to the Bruins. Those are three clear demonstrations of dominance from the ascendant Longhorns. UCLA has 24-plus minutes to reverse all of these bad trends.
Getting worse
UCLA with 8 turnovers, Texas 1. The Bruins are being overwhelmed by a tougher, hungrier opponent. Will they do something about it?
End 1st quarter — Texas 20, UCLA 10
The Bruins are getting bullied. Full stop.
Difference in hunger
Texas is the far more active team. UCLA will need to regroup and fight back. The energy level is not the same for these teams.
Sloppy
Four turnovers for UCLA in the first seven minutes, Texas none. The Bruins need to get that fixed.
Texas 8, UCLA 4 — 6:14, 1st quarter
Texas comes out of the gate with a lot of energy, as expected. Texas is making a clear effort to deny Lauren Betts the ball. UCLA has the depth and versatility to adjust.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball falls to No. 4 Texas — recap
Reporting by Matt Zemek, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
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