UCLA
Arizona
No. 11 UCLA Beats Arizona, 70-60
January 29, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2011
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 1 
|
Photo Gallery 2
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jasmine Dixon had a season-best 22 points, hitting 11 of 12 shots, to help No. 11 UCLA beat Arizona 70-60 on Saturday.
Atonye Nyingifa collected a career-high 12 rebounds to go with 11 points, while Darxia Morris scored 13 for the Bruins (18-2, 8-1 Pac-10). The triumph helps UCLA match its best start since the 1980-81 season.
UCLA finished with a convincing 48-24 rebounding edge, including 25 on the offensive end. The Bruins took advantage of the additional opportunities with 28 second-chance points.
Their offensive and total rebounding numbers were both season-highs.
Ify Ibekwe had 18 points and Davellyn Whyte had for the Wildcats (13-7, 4-5).
The Bruins grabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the first half, leading to 17 second-chance points. Nyingifa had as many rebounds as all the Wildcats combined at halftime as the Bruins held a 26-8 rebounding edge.
Arizona started the game by hitting six of eight shots to open a 15-9 lead. It would be short lived as UCLA stormed back with a 25-4 run courtesy of a relentless effort on the boards.
Dixon scored eight points during the stretch, which got started with 12 straight points and closed with a string of 11 straight as the Wildcats mustered just a pair of layups.
Dixon had a putback before a steal led to a Doreena Campbell layup, and Morris made it 34-19 to close the spurt. Dixon made 11 of 12 shots for the game while Markel Walker finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
Things continued to go the Bruins' way coming out of the break. After Shanita Arnold opened with a layup for Arizona, UCLA rattled off nine straight points to go ahead 47-26 on a jumper from Morris.
The Wildcats came alive and found themselves within 64-57 with 2:37 remaining on Ibekwe's jumper. But a traveling violation and two missed free throws forced them to intentionally foul.
Four free-throws helps the Bruins close out their seventh consecutive win over the Wildcats.
Ibekwe, who entered leading the Pac-10 in rebounding at 9.8 per game, had just one at the half and three for the game.
The Wildcats have dropped 10 of 11 in the series. They haven't beaten UCLA since a 66-63 win in Feb. 2007.
