Women’s basketball hands USC first loss of season in 78-73 win

Source: dailybruin.com --- Thursday, December 31, 2015
When the game clock failed to start with seconds left in the fourth quarter, it appeared that even mechanical objects did not want the game to end. The 2,766 people in attendance probably would have agreed with the clock. When time finally did expire in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night, No. 21 UCLA women’s Basketball (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12) walked off the court victorious with a hard fought 78-73 win over previously undefeated USC (12-1, 0-1). The game was tied seven times and had seven lead changes, with neither team ever leading by more than 10. “(That was a) very competitive game from the beginning to the end, and that’s what you want when you want to gain fan support and win some fans over to women’s Basketball,” said USC coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. The Trojans jumped out to a quick start, but the Bruins responded by going on a 10-0 run to end the first quarter. The action remained tight in the second quarter before ending with the Bruins up 32-30. The Bruins struggled early to defend the length of forward Temi Fagbenle, a graduate transfer student from Harvard. Though the Bruins would settle down on defense and adjust to the 6-foot-4 Fagbenle, she still finished with 23 points – 15 of which came in the first half. Both teams went on runs in the third, with the Bruins going up by 10 before the Trojans finished the quarter with a 10-2 run to keep the score close at 53-51 heading into the final period. The action culminated in a fou ...

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