No. 2 UCLA had tried so hard to come back from a huge deficit and put Washington State away.
After falling behind by as much as 20 points in the third quarter, they rallied in the fourth to close the gap to 1, with 20 seconds to go. After two Cougar free throw shots, the Bruins still had chances.
Kiki Rice missed a three-point jumper, which Charisma Osborne rebounded, and then missed the same shot. Rice rebounded that ball, but there wasn’t time enough to launch another shot. Momentum from the scramble sent her to the floor as time expired, and Pauley Pavilion fell silent, as WSU’s 85-82 win sunk in.
Rice, who had scored a career-high 25 points in the effort, laid there for a moment, seemingly stunned, and finally Osborne reached out a hand to help her up.
The loss was UCLA’s second in 7 days, as they were upset in overtime the previous Monday by No. 16 Utah. It was also their second consecutive game without sophomore center Lauren Betts, who is out for undisclosed medical reasons, as per the team.
Coach Cori Close mentioned after Fridays win over Washington, which the Bruins began lethargically, that the team had been through “a tough week.” She reiterated that after Sunday’s loss, saying that athletes had been…
