UCLA shot 57%, Cougs lost 73-66 without Léger Walker
Cole Quinn
WSU guard Astera Tuhina dribbles the ball during the NCAA basketball game against UCLA on Jan. 22.
January 23, 2023
The Cougars came close midway through the third quarter, as they’ve done many times before. The game was starting to get out of hand as the UCLA Bruins had a solid defense all afternoon.
Astera Tuhina probed the Bruins defense and threw it to Johanna Teder. The small but mighty crowd at Beasley Coliseum cheered as it glided through the air and into the net.
Cougs quickly got the crowd back on their feet. Tuhina quickly got the ball back and put it back where Wazu scored his 3-point shot for the second time in a row.
Coog won’t be able to win his fourth game of the year without star point guard Charlize Legerwalker, who remained in New Zealand due to family issues despite Tuhina scoring a career-high 15 points. was.
Tuhina and the team stepped up after losing a star player, but it wasn’t enough for WSU women’s basketball (13-5, 3-4 Pac-12) and the ninth-placed UCLA Bruins (17-3, 6-12). 2 Pac-12) lost. -12).
UCLA took a 9-2 lead with Wazzu’s impossible shot.The Bruins were proving they were all they were Associated Press Top 10 Implied ranking.
UCLA’s Gina Conti sank shots throughout the game to reach 12 points as part of a 5-for-12 night that included two 3-pointers.
Kaugz didn’t want to get up and get punched in the mouth. Tara Wallach hit his shot for a stand-up 3-pointer. She later scored a layup and one her shot as part of her night of shooting 3-for-9, her 11 points including two of her 3-pointers. Of her shots she dropped only one in the third minute, but Wallach played all of her 40 minutes, so five free-throw attempts gave her three extra points.
The difference in the game proved to be the Bruins clutch approach to the pre-break buzzer. UCLA ended both the first and second quarters with shots that made the buzzer go off in the final seconds of play, giving him five points combined.
UCLA’s ball security was similar to La La Land’s performance at the Oscars.
Grace Thurber lured a bruin ball into her hand for a dynamic turnover on the UCLA side of the court. Unfortunately, Bella Murekatete’s shooting was flat and Cougs was nine points behind her.
WSU guard Grace Thurber searches for a pass during the NCAA basketball game against UCLA on Jan. 22.
The Cougs kept UCLA at bay as they held the lead for just over four minutes total.
The Bruins outscored the Wazu by 43% to 42%. The Cougars were ahead of his clip by three points (57% to 43%), but the Bruins shot more (23-10 compared to Wazzu’s 8-14).
Five players scored in double digits at UCLA, but none spread the ball and hit more than 12 shots.
“[UCLA head coach Cori Close is] Find a way to win, they’re gritty, they’re tough, and they can really change the game in the way they defend. They defended us really hard in the second half. I thought that affected us. “
Wazzu also picked up five players with double-digit scoring in Murekatete (11 points), Jessica Clarke (11 points) and Teder (10 points), while Wallack (11 points) and Tuhina (15 points) I scored a night in double digits.
WSU guard Johanna Tedder drives into the hoop during the NCAA basketball game against UCLA on Jan. 22.
The Bruins had 23 3-pointers as the WSU couldn’t find an answer.
Towards the end of the game Ulla Motuga was in foul trouble. All scoring chances leveled off and the Cougs looked desperate.
Sophomore Kaia Woods had time to play for the Pac-12 thanks to hard work in practice and an ideal matchup against UCLA’s Londyn Jones.
WSU international students were celebrated during the game and posed for pictures with the team, which included nine student-athletes.
“We’re not going to stop recruiting internationally, so I hope the kids we recruit around the world can see the diversity we have on campus,” Etheridge said.
The WSU women’s basketball team will celebrate a three-pointer during the NCAA basketball game against UCLA on January 22nd.
Cougs’ next gig is Friday at 5pm at the ASU Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona.