Women’s basketball falters in last-minute 67-65 loss to Oregon

It looked as if the third time was the charm for the women’s basketball team, but it was unable to avoid another collapse Saturday in Eugene, Ore.

UCLA dropped its third straight game in which they had at least an 11-point lead Saturday afternoon in Eugene, losing to the Ducks 67-65 on a last-second layup by forward Jillian Alleyne.

However, coach Cori Close said some of the team’s issues were different from last weekend’s games against Stanford and Cal.

“(The issues) were more decision-making and maturity issues,” Close said. “I think we lost focus about what got us there and we played more tentative in the second half.”

The Bruins extended their lead in the beginning of the second half and responded to the Ducks’ runs with their own. However, in the final 10 minutes of the game, Oregon went on a 22-7 run, finishing with Alleyne’s winner.

When the teams first met this season, the Bruins’ ability to stop Alleyne’s streak of 21 double-doubles was a positive takeaway in their loss. However, on Saturday, Alleyne torched the Bruins with season highs of 30 points and 25 rebounds.

Redshirt junior forward Kacy Swain was a bright spot for the Bruins, posting nine rebounds and a season-high 12 points, after recording 10 rebounds but no points against Cal on Jan. 25.

The veteran post player said one of the team’s biggest weaknesses right now is mental focus.

“We didn’t really come out in the second half with the mentality on defense that we needed to keep them from getting the ball to Jillian,” Swain said. “We just didn’t adjust to it.”

Alleyne scored the last 10 points for Oregon, and UCLA did not make a shot from the field in the last three and a half minutes.

“At the beginning of second half when they went on their runs, we did punch back,” said freshman guard Jordin Canada, who also attributed her team’s slip to a lack of mental focus.

“Them going on runs at the end kind of got the best of us, and we didn’t really recover from that,” Canada said.

UCLA faces No. 7 Oregon State on Monday night at 7 p.m. in Corvallis, Ore. The Bruins lost their first game against the Beavers 47-65, but Swain pointed out that her team held Oregon State to the fewest points they have scored against any other Pac-12 opponent.

“We’re pretty confident that we can play well (Monday) and redeem ourselves,” Swain said.

Along with replicating their first defensive performance against the Beavers, the Bruins will need to break through on offense Monday night to keep up with Oregon State, who held USC to 35 points Saturday.

After the loss Saturday, Close said the team learned that it has to constantly be the aggressors and go at each possession with an attacking mentality. She stressed the importance of capitalizing on mid-range jumpers and not being afraid to drive down low and attack the basket.

“We need to score in transition, we need to get stops and really attack the basket, and we have to possess,” Close said.

UCLA still has not defeated a ranked team in seven games and will need top performances and mental sharpness from each player, reserve or starter, to break the pattern.