LOS ANGELES — With eight seconds left in the third quarter, UCLA trailed their crosstown rivals USC by 13. The Bruins had possession with a chance to stem a 9-0 Trojans run heading into the final period. Instead, UCLA wasn’t aware of the clock, and the quarter ended with the ball in forward Timea Gardiner’s hands.
It brought to mind a similar situation from a previous Bruins-Trojans matchup when the teams met in the 2024 Pac-12 semifinals. UCLA had the ball with a chance to win at the end of both regulation and the first overtime and didn’t get a shot off either time, eventually losing in the second extra period.
The Bruins may not have been in a position to win regardless Saturday with the double-digit deficit, but the scene was all too familiar, especially for those who have doubts about UCLA’s abilities to win big games. The Trojans left Pauley Pavilion with an 80-67 victory to earn the Big Ten regular-season title — the first opportunity for either team in their inaugural season in the conference.
“I’m just really pissed off we didn’t show up and do our jobs,” UCLA coach Cori Close said after the game. “We’re gonna have to do some real hard looks in the mirror.”
Over the past three seasons, when the pressure has been the highest, the Bruins haven’t…
