Dec. 3, 2010

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Video highlights and post-game interviews on Lions' All-Access

LOS ANGELES - For the better part of 30 minutes on Friday, LMU gave 12th-ranked UCLA all it could handle but the Bruins pulled away down the stretch for a 67-43 victory in front of 823 fans at Gersten Pavilion. Junior Candice Nichols led the Lions (4-4) in scoring for the second straight game, totaling 14 points against the Bruins (6-0).

LMU was missing its top two scorers from last season for the second straight game in senior Renahy Young and junior Alex Cowling but the freshman-heavy roster hung with the #12 team in the country. LMU held a lead in the first half and cut it to one with 13:11 remaining in the second but the Bruins held LMU to just six points over the final 13:11 to end the game on a 29-6 run.

Nichols had 12 of her team-high 14 points in the first half and reached double figures for the eighth straight game by shooting 3-for-5 from three-point range and 3-for-4 at the line. She was joined in double figures by freshman Hazel Ramirez, who had 11. Sophomore Courtney Collishaw added eight points and redshirt freshman Camille Buckley grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

It was truly a story of two halves from the field for the Lions. LMU shot 50% (10-for-20) in the first half but was held to 26.1% (6-for-23) in the second to finish at 37.2% (16-for-43) overall. Hot shooting from the outside kept the Lions in much of the game and they knocked down half of their 14 attempts. LMU was also 4-for-8 from the free throw line.

Rebounding and few turnovers had been key to the Lions' early success but neither was on their side against the pressing Bruins. LMU was out-rebounded 41-25 and committed 23 turnovers to just 10 for UCLA.

Markel Walker came off the bench to lead UCLA with 15 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and five steals. Darxia Morris also had 15 points. UCLA connected on nearly 54% in the second half and shot 44.4% (28-for-63) overall, 40% (2-for-5) from distance, and 60% (9-for-15) at the line. The Bruins used their height advantage to grab 25 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second chance points while also holding a 32-12 edge in points in the paint, 28-9 off turnovers, and 28-8 in bench scoring.

LMU got the home crowd going by making three of its first four shots, with back-to-back three-pointers by Nichols staking the Lions to an 8-6 lead. UCLA's trapping press soon stepped up its game, forcing five turnovers to help the Bruins on a 13-0 run that turned a 12-11 LMU lead into a 24-12 UCLA advantage. Ramirez broke a scoring drought of over 6:30 with layup and foul, then fed freshman Alexis Love for a baseline jumper to get LMU back within eight.

UCLA soon pushed the advantage back to 13 but Nichols kept the Lions in the game, going into double digits with a her third three-pointer of the half, connecting from the middle of the "L" in the LMU logo at halfcourt that cut it to 30-22 with 2:02 remaining. UCLA would maintain that eight-point lead into the half, 32-24.

As UCLA pounded the ball inside to start the second half, LMU stayed in the game via the long-ball. LMU's first four buckets of the half were from distance as back-to-back three-pointers from Collishaw and a four-point play from Ramirez cut the Bruin lead to one, 38-37 with 13:11 left.

That would be as close as the Lions would get, though, as Walker took over with six points and two assists in a 10-0 run that immediately pushed the lead back into double digits. That 10-0 spurt was part of UCLA's larger 29-6 run to close out the game.

LMU closes out its non-conference home schedule on Tuesday at 5 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton. The game will be part of a doubleheader, with the Lion men hosting Sacramento State at 7:30 p.m.