Bears Beaten by Bruins 70-58

“I credit UCLA,” said Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “They're a terrific team.  They're in the top 15 for a reason, and I thought they brought all their strengths to the forefront tonight.  They came out ready, and they were really good.”

Markel Walker led the Bruins with 23 points, and third-seeded UCLA put everything together to pull the first upset of this year’s Pac-12 Tournament.

UCLA did whatever it wanted on offense, sharing the ball and collecting 17 assists.. Alyssia Brewer had 14 points, Antonye Nyingifa had 12, and Jasmine Dixon had 15 points. But it was UCLA’s defense that destroyed the Bears, as the Bruin frontline anchored a tough UCLA zone that Cal could not solve. The Bruins also became only the second team to beat Cal on the glass, 41-36, led by Dixon’s 12.

Cal (28-3) finally came to life in the second half, but by then, it was entirely too late. Brittany Boyd had 18, and Layshia Clarendon contributed 14.

Third-seeded UCLA had been swept by the Bears in the conference season, but the Bruins were the team that showed confidence from the get-go.

UCLA stole the tip and established their presence immediately, as Markel Walker beat everyone down the floor for an easy lay-up.

Cal alternated committing turnovers trying to get into the paint or missing long jumpers. Four different players scored for the Bruins, and Cal fell behind 8-2.

UCLA forced Cal’s offense into the quarter-court, and the Bears struggled, with only Clarendon seeming able and willing to pull the trigger.

The Bruins repeatedly beat Cal down the floor, and the Bears seemed confused and were often out of position.

“I just felt like they wanted it more,” said Reshanda Gray, who had four points and three boards off the bench. “They were more prepared than we were.”

“For myself, going into paint, finding open lane and making lay‑up, it was so packed in, and there was nowhere I could drive or ditch to nobody,” said Brittany Boyd. “So I just credit their defense.  Their defense was the key to this game.”

“They went zone, and we missed our first couple shots,” said Gottlieb.  “And I think that was an issue for us.  Then the way that we missed shots, the long rebounds let them get out in transition, and that was just disastrous.  So I think the difference was missing early shots and them converting those to lay‑ups.”

Antonye Nyingifa’s steal and resulting free-throws put UCLA up 16-6. The Bruins were quicker to every loose ball, collecting more rebounds and executing more efficiently on offense.

“I thought they pushed the ball well,” said Gottlieb. “It poses problems when they can have three or four different people pushing the ball up the floor.  They will have Markel Walker or Atonye Nyingifa push it up, and it bothered our transition defense.  And I thought we let them kind of cut behind us a little bit, and get more interior play than what we want them to. So we weren't surprised that that's what they're looking to do.  But I thought we had a hard time getting stops we wanted because we were letting them go in transition a little bit.  And they just played well.”

Cal’s best option offensively was launching and missing a three at the end of the shot clock.

UCLA’s three leaders—Alyssia Brewer, Markel Walker, and Antonye Nyingifa—dominated. The Bruins played great team ball, utilizing screens and cuts to burn a desperate and overplaying Cal defense.

Unable to get anything going on either end, the Bears showed panic for the first time this year. They faded away on their jumpers and did not finish the few shots they had inside. Time and again, a steal by Cal became a turnover going the other way. After yet another score by Walker, who abused Cal’s guards inside, Bear players turned towards the bench, their faces confused and searching for answers.

“They came out more aggressive than what we’ve seen from them,” said Talia Caldwell about the Bruins. “I think we were shell-shocked, unfortunately, and did not respond.”

At the half, the game was effectively over. UCLA had outplayed Cal in every way, including taking away Cal’s strengths: outscoring Cal in the paint 22-6 and outrebounding the Bears 20-13. And of course, the Bruins were a torrid 56% from the field, while Cal was a paltry 20%. UCLA led 35-14.

UCLA hit five of its first seven attempts coming out of the break, including two consecutive baskets by Mariah Williams, extending the lead to 45-19.     

Cal finally showed some fight, starting with Talia Caldwell inside. Caldwell hit two free-throws to finally break the 20-point barrier for Cal. Then she fought hard inside for multiple offensive rebounds and retain possession, resulting in a Brittany Boyd three.

“I'm proud of how our team fought back in the second half,” said Gottlieb. “I thought there was no quit in us.  I thought we did a lot of things better in the second half.  But the hole was just a little bit too deep, especially against a team as good as UCLA.”

“This team never stops believing for one second that we're fighters,” said Clarendon. “We didn't come this far—we didn't come back from 17 against Oregon State, beat USC in overtime, go play Duke, all of these games, without fighting now. It's character.  We've got to keep fighting, and we never let people change who we are.  We're always going to fight and bring energy.  We're always going to stay true to our colors.”

Markel Walker responded with an alley-oop tip in and a steal that led to a Kari Korver score. But the Bear press began to pay dividends, and Cal looked for early offense. Another Boyd three, a one-on-two fastbreak basket by Clarendon, a Reshanda Gray free-throw, and another Clarendon three, and Cal crept to within 49-33, prompting a time-out by Close. 

Cal traded scores with UCLA, and Clarendon’s three kept Cal at 57-42. But Dixon returned from the bench, and playing with four fouls, outfought everyone inside for consecutive scores. Her putback of a Nirra Fields miss with just over three minutes left put an exclamation mark on the game for the Bruins. On this night, UCLA was tougher, quicker, and better than the Bears.

“UCLA came out as if they had a chip on their shoulder, like they had nothing to lose,” said Gennifer Brandon. “We were kind of back on our heels. I don’t know if we were shocked by how aggressive and hard they were playing. I kind of believe that our comfort in the wins that we had… Probably we were a little complacent maybe? I’m not sure why we came out as slow as we did. But kudos to UCLA for coming out strong and hard.”

“We have to use this to help us, and we will,” said Gottlieb. “I'm confident in the leadership our team and players and staff that we have.  I do think one thing we'll talk about is, hey, we can never feel comfortable.  We played really well against USC, and there should be a confidence level from playing well. But I think this will help us to say at any moment, whatever team is in front of us, we have to be really sharp.  We could face a team like UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament if we make it past the first round or we could face someone in a round after that. So I think it will help us to kind of make sure and keep us on edge that we're never comfortable.” 

“This is definitely a lesson,” said Gray. “This is going to make us more hungry.”

“We got hit tonight,” said Caldwell. “So we’re going to see this on film, and hold on to this feeling, and play harder and better next game.”

The Bears now have a long break before playing in the NCAA Tournament. Gottlieb believes that her team still is deserving of a high seed.

“I think what the Pac‑12 has wanted all along are really good teams,” said Gottlieb. “So when we beat one another, it looks like a great win.  This should be a great win for UCLA and help their resume.  For us, it doesn't hurt you.  I look across conferences today, Maryland lost to UNC and Tennessee lost to Texas A&M, and it's same kind of differential.  I think our body of work is pretty good that I think we could have help ourselves in this tournament, and had we won it maybe we could have gotten a 1 seed.  But I hope this kind of keeps us where we would be otherwise.”

The NCAA Selections will be revealed on March 18.