Bruins Reach Regional Final

UCLA lost its point guard to a sprained ankle in the game’s first minute but still had too much inside firepower against Colorado State in the NCAA tournament West Regional semifinal Saturday night at the Sports Arena.

UCLA (26-7), with a 77-68 victory, advanced to the West championship game Monday night at 9 p.m. at the Sports Arena against Louisiana Tech (29-2), the winner moving on to next weekend’s Final Four at San Jose.

UCLA led by a point at the half, then banked on its high-low post offense of Maylana Martin and Janae Hubbard to begin pulling away from the Rams early in the second half.

The game wasn’t past its first minute when UCLA lost a starter.

On an inbounds play under the Colorado State basket, Gomez, the Bruins’ all-Pacific 10 guard, suddenly crumpled to the floor near Colorado State’s free-throw line.

She pounded the floor furiously with her fist, wincing in pain and anger, then gripped her right ankle.

She had sprained her left ankle at Washington State Feb. 28 and tweaked it a week ago. She was helped to the bench, where she sat for a few minutes, then left for the locker room.

“Unlikely to return,” was the word from the UCLA trainer. Gomez returned to the UCLA bench, but with ice on the ankle.

There was no score when Gomez left, but UCLA soon had a 6-0 lead on a Hubbard six-foot baseline jumper, a Martin putback of a missed three-pointer by LaCresha Flannigan and an 18-footer by Michelle Greco.

Colorado State’s first score came at 13:45, a three-pointer by Jacque Johnson.

The several hundred Ram fans from Fort Collins came to their feet when Kate Cronin tied it at 12 with a three-pointer with 9:00 left in the half.

Then Colorado State took over on a Cronin 16-footer at 6:45 for a 14-12 lead. Cronin got another three-pointer and free throws by Angie Gorton and Hammon, the last ones at 3:48, put the Rams up, 21-16.

UCLA’s 5-7 Flannigan registered the play of the half, a block of a drive by the 6-foot Gorton at 4:16.

The Bruins seemed headed for a substantial halftime deficit when it was 23-18 for Colorado State at 2:45, but that changed quickly. In two minutes, UCLA put up an 8-2 run, featuring two Hubbard putbacks and another by Carly Funicello.

Then Martin, playing at the high post, made a great assist pass down low to Funicello, who scored all alone for a 26-24 Bruin lead.

UCLA led at intermission, 26-25, its lowest first-half point total for the year, and it can be attributed at least in part to Gomez’s absence.

Also, Colorado State employed a quick transition defense that for the most part kept UCLA in its half-court game.

Hubbard had a game-high 12 points at the half and only one foul. First-half foul trouble had been almost routine for her.

UCLA outshot Colorado State in the first half, 35% to 28%, and had a 25-18 rebounding edge.

The UCLA partisans in the crowd of 4,583 roared with 15:55 to go in the game when the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Hubbard, with Rams all over her, powered in a putback of a Flannigan miss.

That made it 37-34 and seconds later she scored again inside for a 39-34 UCLA lead.

UCLA had a breakaway going on its next trip downcourt, but Michelle Greco missed a difficult layup and Angie Cronin drilled a three for Colorado State seconds later, trimming the Bruin lead to 39-37.

Martin and Hubbard worked the high-low again, Hubbard scoring on a 10-footer for 41-37.

But UCLA still couldn’t stop Colorado State--a team that shot 758 three-pointers this season--from its quick-shot three-point game. Hammon got another after a Martin score to keep UCLA in sight, 43-40, at 13:40.

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TECH WINS BIG

Amanda Wilson scored 27 points as Louisiana Tech routed LSU, 73-52. Page 10

UCONN UPSET

Iowa State defeated top-seeded Connecticut, 64-58. Page 9