UCLA
Arizona
UCLA Upsets Pac-10 Leader Arizona, 87-68
February 12, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2004
Los Angeles, Calif. - UCLA won its fourth consecutive game, upsetting Pac-10 leader and 24th-ranked Arizona, 87-68, Thursday night in Pauley Pavilion. Four Bruin players scored in double figures, with freshman Noelle Quinn leading the way with a career-high 31 points. She added 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double in five games. Sophomore Nikki Blue also had a double-double, her second consecutive, with 16 points and a career-best 11 assists.
Quinn's 20+-point game was her fourth consecutive, giving her the distinction of being only the second UCLA freshman ever to accomplish this feat. The only other Bruin player to do this was UCLA Hall of Famer Ann Meyers in 1974-75. Sophomore guard Lisa Willis also made her way into the UCLA record books, with her five three-pointers on the game giving her a single-season school record 54 made threes.
UCLA enjoyed a 35-29 lead at the half, thanks to 13 first-half points from Quinn and an astonishing eight steals from Willis. The Bruins opened up a 12 point lead, 30-18, at 4:03 on a pair of Quinn free throws, her sixth and seventh consecutive points for UCLA in a 9-0 run. Arizona went on a 11-0 run of its own to cut UCLA's lead to one, 30-29, on a Dee-Dee Wheeler layup at 1:18, but UCLA scored five straight to reach their halftime lead of six.
In the second half, UCLA took a 20 point lead, 67-47, at 9:19 on a Willis 25-foot three-pointer with the shot clock expiring. Another Willis three at 8:28 gave UCLA another 20-point lead, 72-52. Quinn gave UCLA a 76-54 lead at 7:04 and expanded the lead to a game-high 24 (84-60) with a layup at 2:48.
Willis added 19 points and a career-best eight steals for UCLA, Whitney Jones contributed 11 points, and senior forward Jamila Veasley scored a season-best eight points. UCLA scored more points against the Wildcats than any team had all season.
"We were playing the game the way it should be played. We played hard and with focus," said UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier. "Everybody was playing at a high level tonight, and we need that against a team ranked in the Top 25."
Wheeler led Arizona with 25 points, and Shawntinice Polk added 13 points and 10 rebounds for her third-straight double-double.
UCLA improves to 13-10, 8-6 in the Pac-10. Arizona falls to 18-6, 10-3 in the conference. The Bruins will host Arizona State on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 2:00 pm. Olivier is issuing a Coach's Challenge for this game. If 5,000 fans attend, she will donate $1,000 to the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA.
