Angela Dugalic strike a a few-pointer and stretched her arms out even wider than the smile that enveloped her facial area as she looked towards Cori Close on the sideline. The UCLA mentor could only flash a sheepish grin back again at her dynamic 6-foot-4 forward.
Following having difficulties with a preseason knee injuries, Dugalic served the No. 7-seeded Bruins to 73-60 victory more than rival USC in the initially round of the Pac-12 tournament Wednesday in Las Vegas. UCLA (14-11) fended off a USC comeback powering IImar’I Thomas’ 18 points, and Dugalic’s 13 factors and 12 rebounds in 20 minutes. Her spark off the bench highlighted her first two a few-tips of the time, including a person in the fourth quarter that remaining Close shaking her head as UCLA went up by 10.
“I’m quite hard on Angela and it’s for the reason that I consider in her so much,” Near said, noting that Dugalic has practiced only three times because Oct. 30 due to the fact of her knee harm. “She’s owning to find out on the fly.”
The transfer from Oregon will confront her previous team in the 2nd spherical as the Bruins participate in the Ducks at 6 p.m. Thursday.
UCLA, which is at hazard of missing the NCAA event for the initial time due to the fact 2015, gained its sixth straight game about its crosstown rival when ending the initially calendar year of the Lindsey Gottlieb era.
When the groups fulfilled in back again-to-back games in January, each had been having difficulties with injuries. The Bruins had as quite a few gamers dressed in sweatpants and T-shirts on the bench as they experienced in uniforms. The Trojans (12-16) ended up devoid of next-foremost scorer Jordan Sanders, who was out with a knee injuries.
Sanders built the most of her lengthy-awaited rivalry debut Wednesday with 18 points. She scored nine in the 3rd quarter, serving to the No. 10 seed Trojans (12-16) erase a 7-issue halftime deficit and head into the fourth quarter tied.
Which is when Jaelynn Penn took more than for the Bruins. The transfer from Indiana skipped the frequent-year matchups with USC for the reason that of a broken hand, but scored 9 of her 11 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed seven rebounds.
When Penn caught fireplace, the Trojans stalled. They skipped their initially 14 shots in the fourth quarter, not scoring from the field till Sanders built a a few-pointer with 1:43 remaining. UCLA’s direct was continue to 13.
Rayah Marshall, who had just 5 details in the two frequent-year game titles from the Bruins, experienced 17 details and 10 rebounds. It was her 12th consecutive double-digit scoring effort considering that being held scoreless versus UCLA on Jan. 23 and fourth double-double in the past five video games.
UCLA’s Chantel Horvat fouls USC’s Jordyn Jenkins during the next 50 % of the to start with round of the Pac-12 women’s event Wednesday in Las Vegas.
(John Locher / Connected Push)
The Pac-12 all-freshman group honoree figures to be a central figure in Gottlieb’s rebuild at USC, which hasn’t absent to the NCAA tournament since 2014.
Marshall, a McDonald’s All-American from Lynwood Large, about 13 miles from USC’s campus, is established to conclusion that drought during her profession.
“What I would say [about] what I can consider going into future year is this hearth sensation that I’m feeling suitable now,” reported Marshall. “I truly really, really, actually dislike dropping so following time about, I’m going to have this very same feeling and take it out on whoever is on the other side.”
