UCLA
Arizona
No. 11 Bruins Battle Back To Beat Wildcats, 74-70
February 24, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2011
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Doreena Campbell and Markel Walker scored 16 points apiece and No. 11 UCLA beat Arizona 74-70 on Thursday night to clinch the second seed for the Pac-10 tournament.
The Wildcats (16-10, 7-8) shot 53 percent from the field but lost their eighth consecutive game against the Bruins (23-3, 13-2). UCLA tied a school record with its 11th road victory of the season.
Arizona outscored the Bruins seven-to-one to end the first half of play with a 35-32 lead. The Wildcats, now 10-3 at home, became just the fourth team this season to own a halftime lead over the Bruins.Arizona went on to take its biggest lead of the contest at 42-37 with 15:27 to play. Baskets by Rebekah Gardner (three-pointer), Markel Walker and Darxia Morris then lifted the Bruins back in front at 46-45 with 11:28 remaining. Neither team led by more than four points after that until the final minute of play.
UCLA took a 66-61 lead on a three-point shot from the left corner by Darxia Morris with 1:18 to go in the contest. After an Arizona turnover on a Morris steal, Campbell was fouled and hit the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation to make it 67-61 at the 54-second mark. A Wildcat free throw cut the Bruin margin to 67-62. A Bruin turnover was converted into a U of A basket to make it 67-64 with 33 seconds left. UCLA's Atonye Nyingifa then was fouled and hit both ends of a bonus free throw situation for a five-point UCLA cushion. Arizona's Shanita Arnold nailed a pair of three-point shots around some more Bruin free throws to slice the margin to 71-70 UCLA with 15 seconds remaining. Walker was fouled with 11 seconds left and converted both attempts to send the Wildcats down by three. An Arizona three-point attempt rimmed out with seven seconds on the clock and Walker was fouled after gathering in the rebound. She missed the first attempt and made the second of the double bonus opportunity to make the final score 74-70.
Campbell's season-high 16 points catapulted her into 15th place on the all-time Bruin scoring list. Morris finished with 13 points, Nyingifa added 11 and Rebekah Gardner was the fifth Bruin in double digits for the game with 14 points. It marked the 16th time this season that UCLA has had at least three players score in double digits points in a game, all Bruin wins. Arizona shot a Bruin opponent season high of 52.2 percent and its 70 points scored were the most in regulation this season against the Bruins. UCLA made 51.9 percent of its shots, but needed to convert seven of eight free throws in the game's final 28 seconds to secure the win.
