UCLA Is Outgunned by Connecticut

In a wild offensive show of women’s basketball Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA’s late-game surge fell short and the nation’s second-ranked team, Connecticut, beat the Bruins, 113-102.

By a margin of 22 points, it was the highest-scoring women’s game ever played at Pauley. It almost yielded the biggest individual offensive show, too.

Connecticut’s Svetlana Abrosimova, an 18-year-old sophomore from St. Petersburg, Russia, scored 39 points in 27 minutes and had a shot at the the Pauley record of 45 points by Brigham Young’s Tina Gunn in 1979 had she not missed eight free throws.

Abrosimova, playing before a crowd of 5,221, was dazzling in her graceful shot-making ability. Backed up by junior Shea Ralph’s 28 points, Abrosimova was 14-for-17 from the floor, 4-for-4 on three point shots and had 9 assists. The 6-foot-1 Abrosimova sat out the last nine minutes of the first half with two fouls, yet had 20 points in 11 minutes at the break.

Her coach, Geno Auriemma, calls her “Svet.” UCLA coach Kathy Olivier called her unstoppable.

“She’s a great offensive player, but we gave her too many clean looks at the basket,” said Oliver, whose team dropped to 0-2. Connecticut, which has scored more than 100 points in its first three games, is 3-0.

UCLA’s Janae Hubbard, a 6-4 junior, and teammate Michelle Greco, a 5-9 freshman guard, gave Pac-10 opponents something to think about. Hubbard, UCLA’s most-improved player, had 29 points in 33 minutes, with 8 rebounds, on an 11-for-15 shooting night. Greco, prized recruit from LaCrescenta, finished with 17 points in 24 minutes. LaCresha Flannigan and Marie Philman also had 17 each for UCLA.

Connecticut’s big inside players, led by 6-5 Paige Sauer, defended UCLA All-American Maylana Martin well, holding her to eight points and seven rebounds.

But the night was mostly Abrosimova’s show, and afterward Auriemma called it basketball as usual for his Russian markswoman.

“She does that every day,” he said. “When she gets the ball, she shoots it. That’s what we want her to do. When she has too many fouls, she sits.”

The Bruins started quickly, leading by 8-2 and 14-6 early, but Abrosimova hit two three-point baskets. Then Ralph had another and Abrosimova added two layups within four minutes, enabling Connecticut to grab its first lead, 25-23.

The Bruins never led again, but they made it interesting in the stretch. Marie Philman, the 6-foot junior from Huntington Beach, sank a 10-foot baseline jump shot and then scored on a drive, paring the Huskies’ lead to 93-89 with 4:39 to go.

But then Sauer, quiet offensively until then, got a putback and a 15-foot jumper and Connecticut had it up to 97-89 with 3:56 left.

Martin fouled out with 3:12 left and Connecticut took advantage, with Ralph and Abrosimova scoring inside.

Ralph provided the play of the game with a minute left, a behind-the-back assist pass on a break to Abrosimova, who scored an easy layup.

Summed up Auriemma: “I thought both teams played very good offensively and very bad defensively.”