UCLA Women Bring the Heat at Arizona

On paper, it seemed scary. UCLA was playing a team with the nation’s sixth-most productive offense, one averaging 84 points a game. But on the court, at McKale Center, the UCLA women’s basketball team seemed fearless Thursday night.

The 12th-ranked Bruins, playing on the road for the first time since their Dec. 23 demolition at Connecticut, registered a smashing 79-68 victory over No. 16 Arizona before 3,075.

UCLA improved to 10-4 overall and 4-0 in the Pacific 10.

It was a physical matchup, one that left UCLA’s Maylana Martin and Michelle Greco each with black eyes.

Inside starters Martin and Janae Hubbard and even reserves Carly Funicello and Takiyah Jackson threw up a defense that effectively shut out Arizona’s post players, limiting center Tatum Brown to four field goals. She reached 16 points with eight free throws.

Martin, playing only nine second-half minutes because of foul trouble, had 19 points and eight rebounds. Martin, Hubbard, Erica Gomez and Nicole Kaczmarski combined for 65 points.

But the defensive theme for UCLA’s win also extended to the perimeter, where Gomez, who also had 19 points, Kaczmarski, Greco and LaCresha Flannigan held the Wildcats’ much-feared outside shooters to five-for-23 three-point shooting.

This, from a team that entered the game ranked sixth in the nation, at 40.9%.

Arizona (14-3, 3-2) led for most of the first half but trailed, 39-32, at the break.

UCLA Coach Kathy Olivier got a total effort from her team.

“Our inside defense was great,” she said. “Our post players rose to the occasion. They dominated. Outside, I think maybe we got enough hands in their faces so that they were rushing their shots a little.”

Olivier said all her once-injured players have been practicing together for two weeks now, and it showed. In fact, according to Martin, UCLA might just now be rounding into shape.

“Remember, LaCresha, Michelle, Erica and I are just now getting into shape at game speed, and that makes a lot of difference,” Martin said.

Arizona Coach Joan Bonvicini was livid.

“We deserved to lose; UCLA outhustled us,” she said. “This makes our game with USC Saturday huge.”