Washington outworks, outplays Bruins

  MANDY WHITING Sophomore forward Whitney
Jones dribbles the ball upcourt in UCLA’s 68-48 loss to
Washington on Sunday. Washington 68 UCLA 48

By Jackie Abellada
Daily Bruin Contributor

Another game. Another hard-to-swallow loss.

Coming off Friday’s 79-55 victory against Washington
State, the Bruins could not find an answer to the Washington
Huskies Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, losing by a score of 68-48.

Washington set the tone for the game early on. Two straight
three-point baskets and an 11-0 run to start the game, the Huskies
found themselves up by as much as 20 points in the first half.

“One of our focuses coming into the weekend was being
ready to play and getting physical and focusing right from the
start,” said Huskies guard Loree Payne, who led all scorers
with 20 points. “I think we definitely did that
today.”

The Bruins tried to close up the gap before intermission,
scoring 10 straight unanswered points of their own.

But, once again, the Bruins went into the locker room trailing
their opponents by double digits. This time, they were down by 14
points and they did not look happy.

Both the Huskies and the Bruins threw up an unusual amount of
shots from behind the arc. The difference: the Huskies made their
baskets (7-for-28), and the Bruins did not (0-for-15).

“We set the Pac-10 record on takes and makes last
year,” Huskies head coach June Daugherty said.
“That’s the way we like to play and we do a good job on
that.”

The Huskies were already appearing to prove the old adage
“Live by the three, die by the three” as they seemed a
little too comfortable shooting from behind the arc despite missing
attempt after attempt in the second half.

However, the Huskies outworked the Bruins on the offensive
boards, 25-15. The result: 17 second-chance points for the Huskies
compared to seven for the Bruins.

Their inability to get position under the basket was a
persistent problem. According to Bruins head coach Kathy Olivier,
it just boils down to “wanting it more than them.”

Despite losing in the boards and in the game, the Bruins still
hung in there in the second half, cutting down the lead by as much
as nine points.

Although UCLA cut the lead by as much as nine points in the
second half, foul trouble problems slowed down any momentum the
Bruins had any chance of establishing. Emily Autrey came in the
clutch for the Huskies as she made 8-of-10 from the free-throw
stripe in the waning minutes of the game.

Defensively, the Huskies’ guards contained their Bruin
counterparts, stopping any passes en route to the post.
Consequently, the Bruins found themselves lingering in the
perimeter with the shot-clock winding down.

“We weren’t used to their defense,” Bruins
guard Natalie Nakase said. “And their guards have really long
arms and that kind of discouraged the way we played
today.”

Coming off of the bench, Krystle Johnson provided a much-needed
body in the post for the Bruins. The Alabama native led the Bruins
with 15 points, a new career high for the big freshman center.

“I thought it was my time to step up at this point of the
season,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to get the
basketball.”

With the win, Washington (13-8, 8-4 Pac-10) extends its winning
streak to three games. With the loss, the Bruins (6-15, 3-10) have
only won one game at home.