This post was updated Jan. 16 at 11:32 p.m.

At the end of the first quarter, the Bruins were trailing by 10 after turning the ball over seven times.

But the blue and gold tied the game three times throughout the contest and forced four lead changes of their own to keep themselves in the game.

And after a close back-and-forth game with the Bears, No. 8 UCLA women’s basketball (15-3, 4-2 Pac-12) escaped with a win to defeat Cal (10-7, 1-5) in Pauley Pavillion on Sunday afternoon.

Despite an initial layup from senior guard Charisma Osborne after a tipoff won by the Bruins to begin the contest, those first couple points would be their largest lead of the quarter. For the remainder of the quarter the Bears forced four turnovers to contribute to a four minute scoring drought for the blue and gold.

Freshman forward Christeen Iwuala ended the drought with a made layup, but Cal responded with one of their own, forcing the Bruins to call a timeout.

After being taken out of the game for what seemed to be an early injury, Osborne returned to the court to finish the opening period with a made jumper at the buzzer. On 38.5% scoring from the field, the Bruins ended the first quarter trailing 24-14.

Coach Cori Close said that her mind wasn’t on the scoring lapses, but on the plays that the blue and gold was attempting to make.

“We had seven turnovers in that first quarter, and I think that just compounded those mistakes,” said Close. “I thought we were trying to make the hero plays. We weren’t reacting on the defensive end, and they (the Bears) got really hot on the threes.”

Osborne – who hit 1500 career points in UCLA’s Friday contest against Stanford – began to turn up the heat at the beginning of the second frame with a pair of made shots from beyond the arc and a layup to tie the game 23-23.

“Honestly, I was just thinking about executing and how I could get the best shot for my team,” said Osborne. “It was about my teammates finding me and knowing what we’re looking for to be able to execute.”

The Bruins were able to force six turnovers and six fouls, which gave them a five-point lead, their largest of the first half. But their lead subsided as the Bears did not relent, making two three pointers at the end of the half. Even though the blue and gold was able to decrease its deficit, they still entered the locker room with a 38-36 disadvantage.

Osborne returned to the court to tie up the game once again 38-38 to begin the second half. Graduate student guard Gina Conti followed her lead by hitting a three to keep the game close. Throughout the third quarter, the Bruins would respond to the Bears’ made three pointers with one of their own.

Close said Osborne was able to rise to the occasion as the versatile guard she has always been.

“Even after tweaking her ankle, she was just so solid,” Close said. “Without Charisma out there, it really puts pressure on our defense. That is really what sends her to another level, because she has to do it on both sides of the ball.”

Conti continued to make her mark by tying the game up another time 46-46 with less than six minutes to go in the third quarter.

Despite a strong start to the second half, both teams went on a field goal scoring drought for over three minutes. The blue and gold had 10 personal fouls in the third quarter alone. But that didn’t stop the Bruins from keeping up the energy on defense. They forced the Bears to a held ball and, for the first time that quarter, snatched the lead to end the quarter on top 58-57.

After clawing their way back in the third, the last frame belonged to the Bruins.

Freshman guard Kiki Rice started the quarter with a jumper and a layup to extend the lead that contributed to her first career double-double. Rice scored 11 of her 15 points in the last frame alone, and contributed to UCLA’s largest lead of the game, ending the game 17 points ahead.

“I was just focused on finding my teammates and finding the open players,” Rice said. “If I had the open shot, I’d take it.”

With the help of what started as a three-minute scoring drought from Cal, the Bruins came out on top with a runaway victory by a score of 87-70.