The Bruins were about to trail by double digits at halftime until their old hero gave them the momentum they needed to turn things around in Seattle on Friday night.
The No. 9 UCLA women’s basketball team (16-3, 5-2 Pac-12) trailed Washington (10-7, 2-5) throughout the first half and trailed by as much as 12 with 4 seconds left. second quarter. Rather than fold, though, the Bruins got the ball to defend Charisma Osborne, who swung a bomb from midfield that gave her team some much-needed momentum.
That led to a 16-0 run by UCLA on the other side of the break, which they eventually won 51-47 on the road.
After scoring just five points in the first quarter and 10 in the second, they won the third quarter 22-8, overcoming a nine-point halftime gap. Frontman Sontag was instrumental in the wave, opening with a three-pointer to add seven points to a decisive 16-0 run.
Osborne, guard Kiki Rice and guard Camryn Brown also stepped in to help turn the tide, and forward Gabriela Jaquez and guard Gina Conti made two shots late in the third quarter to keep the lead alive. Conte hit a 3-pointer and Rice hit a jumper to give UCLA a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Washington wasn’t done yet.
The Huskies came back with an 8-0 run, while the Bruins missed seven in a row. Rice finally broke the winning streak, but Washington responded with two free throws to cut the lead to two with 1:36 left.
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Sontag’s two attempts from the free throw line, however, hit the line to create some distance and the Bruins took a 6-6 lead with 15 seconds left despite Osborne and Conte each making free throws 1-2. point.
While it wasn’t as dominant as they were in the third quarter — when Washington missed 11 in a row to start the second half — UCLA held opponents to 1 of 6 field goal attempts over the final five minutes. , end victory. The Huskies also fumbled the ball four times during that stretch and were ultimately unable to storm it back in the final moments.
Osborne and Rice tied for the Bruins’ lead with 12 points each, while Sontag had 11 points and eight rebounds. Not a single husky broke a double-digit score.
UCLA will round out the weekend with a game at Washington State on Sunday. The game will end at 12 noon and will be televised from the Pac-12 in Los Angeles.
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