UCLA women’s basketball defeats California 60-52 despite subpar offense
UCLA women’s basketball completed its first season sweep of California since 2011 with a 60-52 win Friday. Senior forward Monique Billings led the Bruins with 14 points. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin staff)
By Sam Connon
Jan. 20, 2018 4:16 p.m.
Coach Cori Close knew the Bruins didn’t play their best game Friday night, but she was still satisfied with the results.
“We were frustrated on offense,” Close said. “I thought we let our frustration on offense affect our defensive intensity. But we regrouped.”
No. 13 UCLA women’s basketball (14-4, 5-2 Pac-12) took on No. 21 California (13-5, 4-3) , coming out on top, 60-52. Having beaten the Golden Bears three weeks ago, UCLA completed its season sweep of Cal with this victory, a feat it has accomplished for the first time since 2011. The Bruins pulled out the victory despite 10 turnovers in the first half and multiple scoring droughts that lasted more than five minutes.
“Was this a pretty game? No,” Close said. “Was this one that we were proud of our offensive flow and our rhythm? No. But, these nights, we talk about them all the time; will your defense and rebounding be good enough to anchor you through those kind of nights?”
One of the reasons the Bruins were able to come out with a win was senior forward Monique Billings. She poured in a team-leading 14 points, 12 of which came in the first half. Before a buzzer-beating tip-in by junior guard Kennedy Burke, Billings was the only Bruin to score in the second quarter. However, Billings’ biggest contribution to her team was on the boards – she pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds.
“I’m not sure you’re going to find a better rebounder in the country than Monique … she was so dominant,” Close said. “And it wasn’t just rebounds in her area, it was rebounds out of area.”
UCLA’s second unit was slowed down by Cal’s defense for most of the game, only tallying 8 points. Except for freshman guard Chantel Horvat’s 6-point performance, the Bruins’ bench shot 0-of-6, but Close wasn’t fazed by their performance.
“One of the things that I think is great is that it didn’t affect us,” Close said. “Even though they didn’t give us as much point production, I do think they were still a spark, and that’s been our character all year.”
The Bruins will play the Stanford on Sunday afternoon in Pauley Pavilion, a chance to avenge their loss to the Cardinal three weeks ago in Palo Alto, California.
