The Bruins were on the verge of dropping double digits at halftime until a senior hero gave them the boost they needed to turn things around in Seattle on Friday night.
Ninth-placed UCLA Women’s Basketball (16-3, 5-2 Pac-12) trailed Washington (10-7, 2-5) throughout the first half, trailing by 12 points with four seconds remaining. Second quarter. But instead of folding, the Bruins got the ball to guard her charismatic Osborne, and she bombed across her court in center, giving her team the momentum it needed.
This gave UCLA a 16-0 run on the other side of the break and an eventual 51-47 road win.
After scoring just 5 points in the first quarter and 10 in the second, they won the third quarter 22-8 and overcame a 9-point deficit at halftime. Forward Reinsontag played a big part in that swing, starting the first half he started with a 3-pointer and contributed his 7 points to his decisive 16-0 run.
Osborne, guard Kiki Rice and guard Camryn Brown also chipped in to turn the tide, and forward Gabriela Jacquez and guard Gina Conti added buckets late in the third to maintain the lead. Conti sank a 3-pointer and Rice knocked down a jumper to put UCLA up her 10, but Washington wasn’t done yet.
The Huskies got back into the fight with an 8-0 run, but the Bruins missed their shots seven times in a row. Rice finally defeated Coldstreak, but Washington answered with a pair of free throws to cut the lead to two with 1:36 remaining.
scroll to continue
With 15 seconds remaining, the Bruins were able to pull away by 6 points despite Osborne and Conti scoring 1-2 each.
While not as dominant in range as in the third quarter (when Washington missed 11 shots in a row to start the second half), UCLA held their opponents down 1-for-6 in the final five minutes. . close out the victory. The Huskies also flipped the ball four times in that stretch, ultimately failing to pounce in the final minute.
Osborne and Rice led the Bruins with 12 points each, while Sontag dropped 11 and had eight rebounds.
UCLA wraps up the weekend with a game in Washington State on Sunday. The match will begin at 12:00 PM and will air on Pac-12 Los Angeles.
Follow Conon on Twitter. @Samconon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter. @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins Youtube
Read more stories from UCLA: Sports Illustrated UCLA Bruins
Read more UCLA women’s basketball stories: Sports Illustrated UCLA Women’s Basketball
