UCLA defeats Michigan, moves on to national invitational championship
Sophomore Kari Korver set a team record with 73 season 3-pointers after netting five shots from beyond the arc. Korver’s 19 points helped lead UCLA women’s basketball past Michigan and on to the finals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. (Angie Wang/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Claire Fahy
April 2, 2015 12:16 a.m.
Jordin Canada stood at the line, the ball leaving her hands and traveling 15 feet to hit its target, nothing but net.
The freshman guard’s four free throws in the final minutes iced UCLA’s 69-65
Although the Bruins won’t be in Tampa Bay for the NCAA championship, their win over the Wolverines punched them a ticket to the finals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in Charleston, W. Va.
UCLA trudged through deep waters to earn the highly coveted spot in the championship against West Virginia, coming out of a nearly even halftime score to battle for the upper hand late in the second period.
“What a great opportunity for our team. I’m just so thankful (for the chance to play in the finals),” coach Cori Close
The semifinal matchup against Michigan started and finished with intensity, the game remaining close until the Wolverines entered a late state of cold shooting and found themselves in foul trouble, ultimately sending Canada to the line.
Canada said that the heightened level of teamwork and the Bruins’ ability to remain rigid during moments when the Wolverines took off on runs were elemental in the win.
“We rallied together,” she said. “In the past, when teams go on runs, usually we break down and never recover. When they went on their run in the second half, we never backed down.”
Although the Bruins struggled with ball control and committed 14 turnovers, they compensated defensively, recording nine blocks and five steals. The Bruins showed offensive strength once again from the 3-point line, pushing their 3-pointer total to 22
Redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver led the Bruins with 19 points, tying her career high of five 3-pointers
Korver said her teammates have shown great improvement in allowing her to get to open places on the court where she can make those crucial 3-pointers.
“I’m not a player that does a great job of creating my own shots,” she said. “(My teammates) set screens and are looking for me … They’ve gotten a lot better at that, and I’ve gotten a lot better at using the screens they are setting for me.”
Canada and UCLA/Muscle Milk student-athlete of the week, junior guard Nirra Fields, posted 16 and 13 points respectively. Canada tallied six rebounds and nine assists
The Bruins said that their goal throughout the course of the WNIT has been out-rebounding opponents and optimizing passion plays.
“It’s fun to see it all come together and see the team that we can be next year,” Korver said. “To see the growth of freshmen and a lot of upperclassmen who didn’t get to play last year culminating into (this) moment. We made plays when we had to and didn’t get shaky when it got close.”
The ball the Bruins got rolling against California State University, Bakersfield in the first round of the WNIT has continued to build momentum, knocking out opponents as the Bruins have paved the path to the April 4 championship in blue and gold.
“We’ve won five in a row
Contributing reports by Conor Cusack, Bruin Sports contributor.
