Huskies Fall To UCLA 63-48 Despite Strong First Half

LOS ANGELES, Calif.– In the Pac-12 debut for the Huskies, 25 days after playing last, the Washington women's basketball team fell 63-48 to UCLA due to a big third quarter for the Bruins (6-4, 1-1).  

Washington (5-4, 0-1) led 9-7 going into the second quarter after a defensive first quarter in Pauley Pavilion. 

The Huskies followed it up with a strong second quarter, showing off their teamwork and fast-paced motion offense. With seven of UCLA's scholarship players unavailable for the contest, the Dawgs capitalized and held a lead throughout the first half. 

A big and-one followed by a three-pointer for junior Haley Van Dyke, paired with tough team defense, created a shift in momentum for the Dawgs in the beginning of the second quarter. Senior Missy Peterson hit a big three and jump shot late in the second quarter to put Washington up 27-24 going into halftime.

The Bruins made a run in the third quarter, but the Huskies kept fighting. Van Dyke recorded a steal capped off by a pullup jumper, and followed that up with a three. Alexis Whitfield got in on the action, adding a steal and score of her own. 

In the final quarter, both teams played lock-down defense resulting in no score for just over three minutes. Peterson was able to end the drought with a three-pointer to cut the UCLA lead to seven with 5:52 remaining in the contest. In the end, the Bruins came out on top to hand Washington a loss in their first conference game of the season. 

Washington's Van Dyke finished with 15 points, followed by Lauren Schwartz contributing 10. Peterson also had eight points on the night. 

Next, the Huskies play USC on the Trojans' home court on Sunday, Jan. 16. Tip off is scheduled for 12 p.m. PST.