Bruins Fall Again as Quinn Hobbled

The loss of starting guard Noelle Quinn turned out to be temporary, but UCLA’s 84-73 loss to Arizona in a Pacific 10 Conference women’s basketball game Sunday at Pauley Pavilion will stand.

Quinn, the Pac-10 freshman of the year last season, was sidelined because of a knee injury with 5:11 left in the first half after she scored from underneath the basket but landed awkwardly. She hobbled off the court with the help of teammates before being carried off to the trainer’s room.

By the time Quinn returned, with her left knee tightly wrapped but otherwise feeling ready to play with 17 minutes left, the Wildcats had used a 12-1 burst at the start of the second half to turn a 32-28 halftime edge into a 44-29 advantage.

The No. 19-ranked Bruins (11-5, 5-2) never quite recovered, although they made up ground.

“She’s a major part of not only our program, but she’s also a major part of my game,” UCLA junior point guard Nikki Blue said of Quinn, who will have an MRI exam today or Tuesday. “Just having that option, she’s like my right hand, you know? It was like Batman without Robin.”

Blue and another teammate, Lisa Willis, proved to be an especially dynamic duo down the stretch.

UCLA trailed by as many as 23 points, at 62-39, with 11:30 left, but cut the deficit to 12, at 66-54, with 7:21 left during a stretch that included consecutive three-point field goals by Willis. Later, the Bruins got to within seven, at 75-68, with 2:15 left as Blue made four of seven free throws in a span of 1 minute 51 seconds. Blue then fouled out with 2:05 left.

Willis finished with 24 points, including 16 in the second half, to go with seven rebounds. Blue had 19 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes of play. Quinn wound up with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Bruins, whose 10-game home-court win streak ended Friday with a 44-42 loss to Arizona State, dropped into a tie for third place in the Pac-10.

Dee-Dee Wheeler played a primary role in handing UCLA its latest defeat. The senior guard finished with 19 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as part of a balanced effort by Arizona (12-4, 4-3), which had four players who score in double figures in Coach Joan Bonvicini’s 250th victory of a 14-year career.