Only one Top 25 NCAAW game yesterday. And what a game it was. This was a game governed by turnovers, of which No. 8 UCLA had 24 and No. 13 Colorado had 15, and lack of focus. Neither team had any points off of turnovers. UCLA outrebounded Colorado 39-27, and Colorado had 15 steals to UCLA’s 7. Between turnovers and steals, this is what I would call PAC-12 Hot Potato. Someone must have turned off the heat at Pauley Pavilion because the shooting was ice-cold for long stretches of the game.
UCLA shot 20-48 for 41.7% and Colorado shot 16-56 for 28.8%. They were even on 3s at five apiece, and Colorado went 8-10 from the free throw line while UCLA went 8-11. I think the game was part defense and part self-sabotage. Poor shot selection, a lot of standing around, and no real flow to the game. At those moments when someone might score a couple of buckets in a row, which didn’t happen often, the cheers from the crowd almost had a touch of sympathy.
It really is too bad to see two good teams have such a poor night during the same game. UCLA stud Lauren Betts was held to two points, which she didn’t score until a minute and a half into the fourth quarter. Jaylyn Sherrod led the Buffaloes with 10 points but fouled out at a crucial moment when Colorado was only down by four. Kiki Rice scored 20 for UCLA and Charisma Osborne scored 14.
UCLA and Colorado was an interesting first three quarters
The first quarter set the tone for the game, with Colorado making only two buckets and two free throws, and UCLA managing a few more to take it 17-7. Colorado opened the second on an eight-point run, with Sherrod making a jumper and Frida Formann two successive threes. Even though the quarter ended at 29-19, it looked as though Colorado had some more life to it.
In the third, they got within three, then Kiki Rice made two free throws to give UCLA a 31-26 lead, and then a bunch of missed shots until Jaylyn Sherrod made a layup, cutting the lead back to three for UCLA. Quay Miller made a layup for Colorado, followed by another by Tamelya Sadler, and lo and behold, Colorado took the lead! London Jones quashed the celebration with a three, which she followed with a layup. Rice added a couple of free throws and the UCLA lead is back six.
A low-scoring fourth quarter between the PAC-12 schools
Late in the quarter, Aaronette Vonleh hit a layup and a free throw, which Charisma answered with a layup to end the quarter 40-35 for UCLA. Finally, the fourth quarter saw a few buckets here and there, including Betts’s sole basket, a couple of lulls, blocks, fouls, and missed shots. At the 5:22 mark, Vonleh hit two free throws, bringing Colorado within three a 46-43. From there, the drought lasted until the 1:29 mark when Charisma broke the game open with a three.
Sherrod answered with two free throws. Thirty seconds later, London Jones made a free throw on Sherrod’s fifth foul. Rice made two free throws on two fouls, and the game ended at 53-45. I give a ton of credit to Beth Mowins and Stephanie White, the commentators for the game. They managed to keep an upbeat tone, finding something good to talk about whenever possible.
Takeaways from this Top-15 NCAAW matchup
I can’t imagine either Cori Close or JR Payne has much good to say to their teams, and film sessions could very well be difficult for these players to watch. But one game doesn’t define a team, and college athletics should be a place where you’re allowed to make mistakes, fail, and then learn. I say should be, in hopes that it, in some way, is. These are kids after all, which doesn’t necessarily mean they should be treated with kid gloves.
When I turned the TV off after the game, I thought, I really hope they all learn something from this game, something that can move them forward, both collectively and individually. It would be easy to dismiss this game with cynicism, but who does that help? No one, especially the cynic. So I’m on the bandwagon of hope. I hope you are as well.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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