Bruins Pull Away Late, Advance to Pac-12 Semis

Postgame Press Conference | Boxscore

LAS VEGAS – The third-seeded UCLA women's basketball team outlasted Washington, 58-46, in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday evening at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Charisma Osborne and Michaela Onyenwere scored 12 points apiece to lead the Bruins (15-4, 12-4 Pac-12), who led by as many as 15 points during the first half. Osborne matched her season high with a game-best 10 rebounds for her second double-double in as many games (triple-double vs. USC - Feb. 26). UCLA was active in the passing lanes, piling up 15 steals. Natalie Chou contributed a career high-matching five takeaways. Osborne added a season-high four.

Quay Miller scored a game-high 19 points for the 11th-seeded Huskies (7-14, 3-13). Tameiya Sadler added 12 points for Washington, which twice took a one-point lead during the third quarter. The Huskies made just 2 of 12 shots (16.7%) in the fourth quarter, however, while the Bruins knocked down 7 of 13 (53.8%).

The teams exchanged baskets to start the game before Haley Van Dyke gave the Huskies the lead with a mid-range jumper (8:58). A put-back lay-in from Chou would then give the Bruins a 5-4 lead (7:54). After a three-point play from Lauryn Miller, Chou and Chantel Horvat converted layups to push the Bruins' lead to 12-5, forcing a Washington timeout (5:16). Dominique Darius and Osborne scored out of the timeout, swelling the lead to 16-5 (4:19). Alexis Whitfield stopped the bleeding with a triple for Washington, cutting its deficit to eight with under four minutes to play in the frame. The Bruins would take a 20-10 after a bucket from Onyenwere, and Osborne capped the frame with a gliding layup at the rim to put UCLA ahead, 22-10 after one.

Emily Bessoir opened the second quarter with a triple from the right elbow extended, extending the Bruins' lead to 25-10 (9:48). Washington then responded with nine-straight points to force a timeout from The Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach Cori Close (6:55). Both offenses stalled out of the timeout before Quay Miller knocked down two more baskets to cut UCLA's lead to 25-23 (4:14). Corsaro then hit a triple and then converted a driving layup to push the lead back to 30-23 before Washington scored to make it a 30-25 game at the half.

Sadler started the third quarter hot, scoring eight points early in the frame to put Washington ahead, 35-34 (7:14). After a floater from Osborne put the Bruins up one, Horvat notched a put-back lay-in to make it 40-37 (4:05). Horvat then scored in transition on a wide-open layup, putting the Bruins up five. The Huskies would convert a layup at the buzzer to cut the score to 42-39 heading into the fourth.

Miller scored inside for the Bruins to open the fourth-quarter scoring, but Quay Miller scored at the other end for Washington to make it 44-41 (8:22). After a pair of free throws form Onyenwere, Miller knocked down a corner jumper to push the lead to 48-41 (5:06). Onyenwere then scored a pair of strong buckets before Osborne converted in transition, ballooning UCLA's advantage to 54-43 at the 3:26 mark. Quay Miller stopped the bleeding with a three-point play, but it was too little, too late for the Huskies.

UP NEXT
The Bruins have advanced to the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals for the sixth-straight season and are set to take on Arizona on Friday, Mar. 5. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PT with Pac-12 Network handling the live broadcast. Dave Marcus' radio call can be accessed at ucla.leanplayer.com.