Categoria: Pac-12

Season Review: USC Basketball Overachieves, Setting Up A Bright Future

by Ufficio Stampa 18 Marzo 2023 Comments0

For the second year in a row, USC’s season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament, this time with a 72-62 loss to Michigan State.

It was a disappointing loss for the Trojans, given that their own offensive shortcomings played a major role in the defeat. But entering the season there was no guarantee this was even a tournament team. Only Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis were key rotation pieces a year ago, and the Trojans had to rely on many untested freshmen and sophomores.

Only the team dynamic worked, and the young Trojans developed into some valuable role players.

Reese Dixon-Waters was Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year with his ability to score and defend off the bench. Kobe Johnson led the conference in steals and shot 36% from 3-point range. Tre White showed flashes as someone who can create his own shot. Joshua Morgan was an intimidating rim protector. Vincent Iwuchukwu had moments on offense when he was healthy enough to play. Kijani Wright developed into a reliable defender.

Which means, moving forward, all the pieces are in place to play around the dynamic force that is joining the team next year. We’ll touch more on him in a moment, but this season could end being looked at as a springboard to greater success in a year.

Highlights Two top-25 home wins over Auburn and UCLA certainly rank near the top of the list. So does a sweep of the Mountain road trip, something the Trojans never take for granted. And overcoming a season-opening loss to Florida Gulf Coast to finish tied for second in the Pac-12 was certainly an achievement. But the aforementioned player development will likely be the lasting legacy of this USC season.

Lowlights It has to be the way the season ended. Losing to Arizona with outright second place on the line, almost blowing senior day to Arizona State only to come out completely flat in the Pac-12 tournament opener to the Sun Devils was bad enough. But that trend of slow starts and offensive droughts followed USC to Columbus as the Trojans shot 34.4% from the floor in the second half against Michigan State.

Who’s gone Peterson is graduating, while Ellis has made clear he intends to forgo his fifth season of eligibility and declare for the NBA draft. The pair did an admirable job leading these young Trojans as captains this season.

Though he had a tendency to be streaky, Peterson was always capable of stuffing a stat sheet in multiple ways. And he fought through back spasms over the course of the last three weeks of the season, refusing to miss a game despite his obvious discomfort.

Ellis’ blossoming into a true playmaker was one of the highlights of USC’s season. He arrived in Los Angeles in 2021 as a renowned scorer but an unbalanced game. But as his senior season progressed, he turned into a true point guard, impressing coaches and teammates with his decision making as he looked to make the right basketball play rather than just score.

Who’s on the fence There’s no Mobley brother weighing an NBA decision this spring. Most of USC’s contributors are expected to stay for next season, though it’s possible there are a couple players who opt to transfer and create scholarship spots for head coach Andy Enfield and his staff.

Who’s on the way The nation’s top overall recruit, point guard Isaiah Collier, should light the Galen Center up next season. He likes to push the tempo, running in transition and finishing with ferocious dunks. He has a smooth jumper and likes to drive to the rim with slippery moves. And most importantly, he is a true point guard who makes clever passes when his gravity inevitably pulls the defense in.

He’ll be joined by high school teammate and four-star center Arrinten Page. At 6-foot-9, Page is an athletic, high-flying big with impeccable chemistry with Collier. And four-star combo guard Silas Demary Jr. rounds out the recruiting class as a pure scorer.

As of now, all 13 scholarship slots are accounted for next year. But if anyone transfers out, USC would like to add another perimeter scorer who can create his own shot or a low post big who can take entry passes and find ways to score.

Pac-12 Basketball: No, UCLA And USC Won’t Take Their NCAA Tournament Units To The Big Ten

by Vito Califano 17 Marzo 2023 Comments0

Time for Pac-12 fans to embrace the enemy within.

UCLA and USC are departing for the Big Ten in the summer of 2024, but the March Madness units they collect in the NCAA’s complicated revenue distribution formula will remain bound to the Pac-12 for the full payout cycle.

The schools are leaving; the units are staying.

USC was eliminated Friday by Michigan State, while the Bruins have advanced to the second round and a date with Northwestern on Saturday.

Their success will impact Pac-12 budgets for years to come.

We’ll get to the details momentarily, but suffice it to say that every tournament game played by the L.A. schools this March and next March will be worth tens of thousands of dollars to each continuing member starting in the spring of 2025.

Without getting too deep into the complexities of the NCAA’s distribution formula, know this:

Each game played is worth one unit through the national semifinals — a maximum of five per team per year. Each unit has a dollar value attached. The units are carried forward for six years and paid out to the conferences in ever-increasing amounts each spring. (The increase is roughly 3 percent per year). The units USC and UCLA earn in the 2023-24 tournaments will not follow them to the Big Ten. They will stay with the Pac-12, with the dollars distributed evenly among the remaining 10 schools.

Let’s say UCLA reaches the Sweet 16 this year. That’s three games played and three units earned. Next year, those units will be worth about $360,000 each, or $1.1 million in total.

That money will be split 12 ways ($30,000 per unit) because the Bruins and Trojans are members of the conference in the 2024 fiscal year.

But starting with the spring of 2025 — and continuing for the remaining five years of the payout cycle — UCLA’s units will be split 10 ways among the remaining Pac-12 schools. And they will increase in value each year.

(Revenue distributions for any new members would be negotiated.)

With the 3 percent escalator, we’ll estimate the average unit value over the final five years of the payout cycle at $390,000.

Divide that by 10, and it’s $39,000 per school per year for five years — or almost $200,000.

And that’s for a single unit earned by the Bruins and Trojans this month.

Games played in the NCAAs next March would work the same way, except with the payout cycle starting in the spring of 2025, the L.A. schools would not reap any of the cash they generated.

So if you’re wondering whether to root for the L.A. schools, keep in mind the endgame: Their success in the NCAAs could be worth $1 million or more to your school over time.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

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*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

Jon Wilner | College Sports Reporter Jon Wilner has been covering college sports for decades and is an AP top-25 football and basketball voter as well as a Heisman Trophy voter. He was named Beat Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Football Writers Association of America for his coverage of the Pac-12, won first place for feature writing in 2016 in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest and is a five-time APSE honoree.

Filed under College Sports Pac-12 Sports UCLA UCLA Sports USC USC Sports

USC Men’s Basketball Looks To Ride Year Of Growth Into Postseason

by pappa2200 8 Marzo 2023 Comments0

LOS ANGELES — Andy Enfield knew he had two players he could rely on entering this basketball season. Beyond Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson, every Trojan either played a reserve or benchwarmer role the previous year or were still in high school.

It was difficult to predict what this USC season had in store, especially after a season-opening loss to Enfield’s old school, Florida Gulf Coast. A rebuild felt like the most likely outcome, given all the unknowns.

But after a mop-up role as a freshman, Kobe Johnson led the Pac-12 in steals and made the conference’s All-Defense team as a sophomore. Joshua Morgan also earned All-Defense honors in his first year as a starter, leading the conference in blocks.

Reese Dixon-Waters took an increased role and earned Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year. And guard Tre White rounded into his starting role and made the league’s All-Freshman team. And that’s not to mention freshmen like Kijani Wright and Oziyah Sellers earning playing time late in the season.

“This is probably the most improved team I’ve had at USC from beginning of the year to the end,” Enfield said.

This group of previously untested Trojans will face its biggest challenge this week as USC begins postseason play, starting Thursday with the Pac-12 quarterfinals in Las Vegas.

But true to his buoyant form, White is more exhilarated by the prospect than intimidated.

“This is still not hitting me. This is a dream come true,” White said, beaming. “It’s crazy. Family members I haven’t talked to in years hitting me like, ‘Good luck in March Madness, we’ll be watching.’ Like, oh, this is really that.”

This is the type of confidence Enfield has tried to instill in White. With USC in desperate need of a third scorer behind Ellis and Peterson, Enfield has encouraged White not to pass up good looks and to shake off misses and be ready for the next opportunity.

“I think it’s trust and confidence in us. Some coaches try to control every little narrative. But I feel like with Coach Andy, he gives us guidelines but he lets us be free,” White said. “I feel like that’s how we all got better [this] year. He doesn’t take our confidence away.”

Sometimes creating confidence in a young player can be trickier. Wright got early playing time for the Trojans as a backup to Morgan, but lost his spot in the rotation in the middle of the season as it was clear the freshman was not ready.

That could have had a devastating impact on the mental development of a young player. But Enfield and his staff tried to stay positive with him even when relegating him to the bench.

“We said, ‘Look, you got to be better in these areas.’ We were very specific with him: You have to be a better rebounder, you have to be a better defender,” Enfield said. “And he took that to heart, has really improved. He’s a tremendous worker and has such a positive attitude.”

All these improvements have the Trojans in a position that was difficult to predict in November. As the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, a win Thursday likely cements USC’s spot in the NCAA tournament.

Who USC plays Thursday will be decided late Wednesday night. Either USC faces sixth-seeded Arizona State for a second game in a row, or has to do some late cramming for 11th-seeded Oregon State.

Dixon-Waters missed practice Tuesday with illness but is expected to travel to Vegas. Center Vincent Iwuchukwu (back) will be a game-time decision Thursday. So it’s possible the Trojans are a little undermanned.

But compared to a few months ago, USC has young players ready to step up when called upon.

Adam Grosbard | Sports reporter Adam Grosbard covers USC athletics for the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group. He’s previously covered his alma mater SMU and the WNBA for the Dallas Morning News and high school sports for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. A Pasadena native, he currently lives in the South Bay.

Filed under College Sports Pac-12 Sports USC USC Sports usc-basketball

Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament: A Breakdown Of The Seeds, Matchups And Nitty-Gritty

by valipomponi 5 Marzo 2023 Comments0

The regular season is complete, the Pac-12 tournament pairings are set, and two questions loom over the conference as Selection Sunday approaches:

Will UCLA earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs?

Will the Pac-12 send more than three teams into March Madness?

Everything hinges on the results in Las Vegas, with the tournament at T-Mobile Arena beginning Wednesday afternoon.

Here’s a look at each team’s seed and matchup, plus relevant nuggets.

UCLA

Seed: No. 1

Matchup: vs. Colorado-Washington winner on Thursday

Nitty gritty: The Bruins beat Arizona soundly in the finale to become the first team since Stanford in 2003-04 to win the regular-season title by at least four games. They are the top seed in Las Vegas and could be a top seed in the NCAAs. The selection committee will monitor Jaylen Clark’s ankle injury and attempt to account for his status when it crafts the 68-team field.

Arizona

Seed: No. 2

Matchup: vs. Utah-Stanford winner on Thursday

Nitty gritty: The Wildcats lost two of their final three games and do not look like a Final Four threat at the moment. That could change, of course, but the perimeter play simply hasn’t been good enough for a deep run in March. Worth noting: They lost to Utah and Stanford on the road, so the quarterfinal matchup could be more challenging than it initially appears.

USC

Seed: No. 3

Matchup: vs. Arizona State-Oregon State winner on Thursday

Nitty gritty: The Trojans edged ASU in the finale Saturday and likely will see the Sun Devils again five days later. Their fate depends on guards Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis, who account for more than 50 percent of USC’s scoring (including their assists). If the duo shoots well, USC could be the last team standing — the Trojans split the season series with UCLA, after all — but it’s easy to envision them stumbling in the quarterfinals, too.

Oregon

Seed: No. 4

Matchup: vs. Washington State-Cal winner on Thursday

Nitty gritty: No team is more difficult to forecast than the Ducks, who own both ghastly losses and impressive wins. We don’t read too much into their current three-game winning streak given the second-tier competition. Far more relevant is the three-point loss at WSU a few weeks ago. Assuming the teams meet again Thursday, it could be one of the most entertaining games of the quarterfinals.

Washington State

Seed: No. 5

Matchup: vs. Cal on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: What a stretch run for the Cougars, who finished with six consecutive wins, rose to the No. 5 seed and will face the worst team in the conference. Guard TJ Bamba has been fabulous over the past month — he dusted Washington for 36 points in the finale — and pairs with forward Mouhamed Gueye to give the Cougars one of the top tandems in the tournament.

Arizona State

Seed: No. 6

Matchup: vs. Oregon State on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: The Sun Devils swept OSU, but both games were close. And we wonder how much gas is left after the thriller in Tucson and the taxing weekend in Los Angeles — all three games carried NCAA bubble pressure. If the Devils shoot well, they should win handily, but that’s hardly guaranteed: They are No. 121 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency (according to the Pomeroy ratings).

Utah

Seed: No. 7

Matchup: vs. Stanford on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: The schedule stiffened down the stretch, and it showed: The Utes lost their last five games, and seven of their last nine, as the wayward offense undermined any chance for a major upset. (Branden Carlson hasn’t hit the 20-point mark since the middle of January.) Utah split the season series with Stanford, each team winning on the other’s court.

WashingtonSeed: No. 8

Matchup: vs. No. 9 Colorado on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: The Huskies dropped six of their last nine but got the matchup they wanted in Las Vegas after sweeping the season series with CU (by 10 points in Seattle and three in Boulder). Keion Brooks scored 39 points in the two games, but UW needs a second scorer. The best bet is freshman Keyon Menifield, if he responds well to the postseason pressure.

Colorado

Seed: No. 9

Matchup: vs. Washington on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: CU will be without point guard KJ Simpson in Las Vegas, not because of injury but illness: He has mono. “He was devastated when he found the news, as we all were,” coach Tad Boyle said. Without their playmaker and No. 2 scorer, the Buffaloes will be hard-pressed to survive the opening round, much less deal with UCLA awaiting in the quarterfinals.

Stanford

Seed: No. 10

Matchup: vs. Utah on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: If you’re looking for a dark-horse team in Las Vegas, consider the Cardinal, which beat Utah on the road, recently upset Arizona and has been sizzling from 3-point range since conference play began. Stanford has size and a veteran lineup, as well. But the defense is wobbly and the point guard play is shaky. We would not be surprised if the Cardinal flamed out, or won twice.

Oregon State

Seed: No. 11

Matchup: vs. Arizona State on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: The Beavers drew the most favorable matchup possible for the opening round — far better to face staggering Arizona State than the other option, Washington State, which hammered OSU a few weeks ago. In a best-case scenario, the Beavers collect one victory in Las Vegas. They possess neither the playmaking nor the experience to duplicate the miraculous 2021 run to the title.

Cal

Seed: No. 12

Matchup: vs. Washington State on Wednesday

Nitty gritty: The most offensively challenged team in the conference will struggle to break 50 against WSU. Once the buzzer sounds on Cal’s 29th loss of the season, the reckoning begins for coach Mark Fox and his staff. The Bears aren’t badly coached, but they are poorly constructed. The talent is non-existent.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

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*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

Filed under College Sports Pac-12 Sports

UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.: ‘We Built Something Real Special Here’

by Vittorio Rienzo 3 Marzo 2023 Comments0

Jaime Jaquez Jr. was walking to Pauley Pavilion for a game last month when he was stopped by a young woman wearing a UCLA sweatshirt who asked for a picture with the 6-foot-7 senior forward.

Jaquez obliged. He even waited an extra moment for her to decipher if the moment was better captured vertically or horizontally.

As he tends to do on the hardwood, Jaquez took control of the moment. With the longer reach, he decided to take her phone and take the selfie himself. She smiled, leaned into frame, posed, and Jaquez snapped the photo. He returned the phone and kept walking as she thanked him and wished him good luck.

It’s become a normal thing for the Camarillo native who is now Mr. Westwood.

“It’s definitely something I’ve had to get adjusted to,” Jaquez said. “When I was a freshman, nobody knew who I was. As a senior now, I can’t go anywhere without someone stopping to tell me something or wanting to take a selfie.”

“Just recently, one of my classmates asked to take a selfie with me after class. That was pretty funny,” he added.

Bruins in the wild: UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes a fan’s day by stopping to take a selfie on his way into Pauley Pavilion for today’s Pac-12 game against Washington State. Camarillo’s finest. pic.twitter.com/6kgg6orcFm

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) February 4, 2023

Jaquez has shown why he’s worth bugging for a selfie this season, especially in the past month as UCLA went unbeaten in February and clinched the program’s first regular-season Pac-12 Conference title since 2013 with a win at Colorado on Sunday. He added more weight to his cause for the Pac-12 Player of the Year with 26 points in Thursday’s win over Arizona State, 19 of which came in the first half.

Despite the fandom, the star of Westwood remained humble when asked if the honor is something he’s eyeing, graciously keeping his team the focus after Thursday night’s win. Jaquez is averaging 17.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting just under 49% from the field this season.

Teammate Jaylen Clark wasn’t shy about the topic though.

“I know he’s not going to say it, but he deserves the damn award,” Clark said.

“He rebounds, he defends, people say he can’t stay in front of the ball, he challenges shots above the rim, he scores in three ways. I’ve guarded the best and he’s the hardest I’ve had to guard, by far, it’s not even close. If that’s what it’s based off, give him the award right now.”

Jaquez’ ascension from Camarillo to Westwood has been remarkable. His leadership under Cronin as the Bruins reclaim a top spot in college basketball has been storybook as the senior preps to play what’s likely his last game in Pauley Pavilion against No. 8 Arizona in a regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.

“Jaime is a great talent,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “I told an NBA guy yesterday, ‘You want to win games, put Jaime on your team. He won’t be your best player, but your coach is going to love him, his teammates are going to love him.’”

Jaquez is loved already, and maybe that’s why he’s not sure how he’s going to handle what is likely to be an emotional game Saturday.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t know,” said Jaquez of how to approach his final home game. “High school senior night is one thing; I think this is going to be a whole other thing. We’re going to try and have as much fun as we can. … We’ve built something real special here. Tyger and I came in as freshmen. Our journey here as had so many ups and downs. We started with nobody coming to our games, nobody even wanting to. Now, we’re selling out games against Cal … We’ve come so far.”

UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. reacts after making a 3-point shot during the first half of their Pac-12 opener against Stanford on Thursday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Jaquez has scored 20 points 10 times this season, notched six double-doubles and ranks No. 19 on UCLA’s career scoring list and No. 17 in total rebounds, making him the 10th player in the school’s history to rank among the top 20 leaders in scoring and rebounding. Under Cronin’s tutelage, Jaquez has helped the Bruins go a combined 75-22 overall and 45-13 in Pac-12 play the last three seasons, with trips to the Final Four and Sweet 16 heading into this year’s final game.

“When you have a rare guy like Jaime Jaquez that values the college experience and wants to have a pro career, he doesn’t just want NBA socks. … players that get to the summer league, then play in the G-League, but you get the socks,” Cronin said.

UCLA appears to be a lock to be at least a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but will be undeniably No. 1 seed-worthy with a win over Arizona and/or a Pac-12 Tournament crown next weekend.

“There was a time when everyone was like Jaime,” Cronin said with a soft smile, almost as if he was reminiscing of better times. “Going to a prestigious university with a great basketball program was an honor. Everyone looked at it that way. Now, it’s a vehicle to get to the pros.”

Jaquez has a few more accomplishments to check off his list, and not one of them is individually motivated.

“I have three awards on my checklist. I already got one, now I want two more,” said Jaquez, alluding to the Pac-12 tournament and a national championship.

That’s Mr. Westwood for you.

Filed under College Sports Pac-12 Sports Top Stories Breeze Top Stories IVDB Top Stories LADN Top Stories LBPT Top Stories OCR Top Stories PE Top Stories PSN Top Stories RDF Top Stories SGVT Top Stories Sun Top Stories WDN UCLA UCLA Sports

USC Men’s Basketball Can Cement Status Vs. Arizona

by Vito Califano 1 Marzo 2023 Comments0

LOS ANGELES — The USC men’s basketball team has the chance to add a couple feathers to its cap Thursday against Arizona.

A win would give the Trojans their 15th consecutive victory at home, tying the second-longest home winning streak in program history. And a victory would put USC one away from going undefeated at home in conference play for the first time since 1991-92.

Not bad for a team that lost its season opener at Galen Center to Florida Gulf Coast, a defeat that looks more like a misdirection than the dour foreshadowing it felt like at the time.

But the game against the eighth-ranked Wildcats represents more to USC than a couple of historical footnotes. A victory would likely eliminate all bubble speculation about the Trojans, putting them firmly in the NCAA tournament field.

USC (21-8, 13-5 in Pac-12) and Arizona (24-5, 13-5) are tied for second place in the conference. Win, and the Trojans control their destiny for the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament entering the season finale against Arizona State on Saturday.

That would have been hard to believe entering the season, with USC having such a young roster. But here the Trojans are.

“This is why you came here. This is why you came to USC, to play in these situations. What are you going to do about it?” Trojans head coach Andy Enfield said of his message to the team. “Step up and play your best basketball, compete at the highest level. Everybody makes mistakes, but if you play smart and together for 40 minutes, you have a chance to win every game you play.”

That is easier said than done against a team like Arizona, which jumped out to an early lead on the Trojans in Tucson last month and coasted to an 81-66 win.

USC was all kinds of discombobulated in that game. It could not score consistently at any level of the court, struggling in the paint against the Wildcats’ front court of Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis while shooting 4 for 17 from 3-point range.

And the Trojans’ normally effective defense allowed Arizona to shoot 48.3% from the floor and 50% from 3.

“We just didn’t play well on the road,” Enfield said. “We didn’t move the ball offensively, we missed a lot of open shots, defensively we made some mistakes. We just have to play better.”

With Arizona and USC one win or one Arizona State loss away from being locked into the second or third seed, it is likely these teams will face each other again in the Pac-12 semifinals next week in Las Vegas.

No time for USC to build confidence for that rematch like the present.

Arizona at USC When: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: Galen Center

TV/Radio: ESPN/AM 790

Filed under College Sports Pac-12 Sports USC USC Sports usc-basketball

No. 17 UCLA Women See Upset Bid Denied By No. 3 Stanford

by Ufficio Stampa 21 Febbraio 2023 Comments0

UCLA head coach Cori Close reacts during the first half of their game against Stanford on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford center Lauren Betts, left, drives to the basket against UCLA center Christeen Iwuala during the first half on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford center Lauren Betts, left, reacts after scoring in front of UCLA center Christeen Iwuala (22) during the first half on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford guard Talana Lepolo makes a pass during the first half of their game against UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford forward Cameron Brink, left, shoots as UCLA forward Emily Bessoir defends during the first half on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford forward Cameron Brink drives to the basket as UCLA forward Emily Bessoir defends during the first half on Monday night at Stanford. Brink had 25 points as the third-ranked Cardinal held off No. 17 UCLA, 71-66. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford forward Cameron Brink, left, goes up for a shot as UCLA center Christeen Iwuala blocks her shot during the second half on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

UCLA head coach Cori Close watches from the sideline during the first half of their game against Stanford on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford guard Haley Jones shoots during the second half of their game against UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

UCLA forward Lina Sontag, left, blocks a shot by Stanford forward Cameron Brink, center, during the second half on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer reacts from the sideline during the second half of their game against UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

UCLA guard Camryn Brown, left, defends against Stanford forward Cameron Brink during the second half on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford guard Haley Jones shoots a free throw during the second half of their game against UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Players on the Stanford bench celebrate as they take the lead during the second half of their game against UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford guard Haley Jones celebrates during the second half of their game against UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Stanford’s Cameron Brink (22) blocks a shot by UCLA’s Gina Conti (10) during the final seconds on Monday night at Stanford. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Stanford’s Cameron Brink celebrates after she blocked UCLA’s final shot attempt during the final moments of the second half on Monday night at Stanford. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Stanford’s Cameron Brink, left, is spun around by teammate Francesca Belibi with the clock in their victory over UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Stanford’s Cameron Brink, left, is spun by teammate Francesca Belibi as the clock expires on their victory over UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Stanford’s Cameron Brink, center, hugs teammate Francesca Belibi as Kiki Iriafen jogs past as the clock expires on their victory over UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, watches a from court-side seat during the first half of a women’s basketball game between Stanford and UCLA on Monday night at Stanford. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer

STANFORD — UCLA kept it close until the end this time, but another upset bid against the best team in the Pac-12 fell short.

Cameron Brink scored 25 points and made all 15 of her free throws, the last of which put Stanford ahead for good, and the third-ranked Cardinal outlasted No. 17 UCLA, 71-66, on Monday night in their final regular-season home game.

Brink swatted two more shots to give her 102 blocks for the season, and her 15 free throws were the most without a miss by a Stanford player since at least 1999. Haley Jones added 18 points and converted a layup with 1:22 remaining to put the Cardinal ahead by three.

“There were a lot of different moments tonight we had to change our mentality,” Jones said. “We’re trying to win a Pac-12 championship and this game was necessary to do that. We had to be the aggressor.”

Stanford (26-3 overall, 14-2 Pac-12) has won four straight and is closing in on a third straight Pac-12 regular-season title with games remaining this week at No. 21 Colorado and No. 8 Utah.

Jones hit a go-ahead jumper with 2:45 to play before Lina Sontag answered with a 3-pointer moments later to put UCLA ahead 65-64. Brink’s final two free throws made it 66-65 with 1:53 left.

Londynn Jones scored 14 points for the Bruins (21-7, 10-6), who dropped one spot in the AP Top 25 this week and had their four-game winning streak snapped. Senior Charisma Osborne added 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a career-best six steals for UCLA, which pounded the boards for a 36-33 advantage, getting 17 on the offensive glass.

“They’re a good team and they’re on a mission,” VanDerveer said of the Bruins.

Brink also converted a go-ahead three-point play with 8:55 remaining. The 6-foot-4 junior reached 100 blocks for the first time in her stellar career and set the all-time Stanford record during Friday’s 50-47 victory over USC – and she still has another collegiate season left to play. Brink has 280 blocks, having topped Jayne Appel’s mark of 273 set from 2006-10.

Stanford won the first meeting, 72-59, on Jan. 13 after the teams were tied through three quarters before the Cardinal dominated the fourth quarter. UCLA made it interesting until the end this time.

“Really proud of our team’s response in the second half,” Bruins coach Cori Close said, “their fight, their togetherness, their belief.”

The cold-shooting Bruins began 3 for 11 from the field and went 5:39 without a basket in the second quarter, missing 10 straight shots as the Cardinal went on a 6-0 run. Christeen Iwuala’s putback with 3:36 left in the quarter ended a nearly six-minute stretch without a field goal by UCLA.

But the Bruins came out energized after halftime, using a 25-point third quarter – they had just 26 points at halftime – while holding Stanford to just four field goals in the period to take a 51-50 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer asked the crowd to give a standing ovation to her four seniors, and hundreds of fans who stuck around well past the final buzzer for a postgame ceremony jumped to their feet.

VanDerveer thanked the players’ parents while making something perfectly clear: The Cardinal have plenty of great basketball still to be played with March approaching. Stanford’s seniors have already won 116 games during their careers.

“They call themselves the Funky Four, I call them the Final Four or the Fabulous Four,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “Let’s keep it rolling.”

CURRY’S SUPPORT Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry attended his second straight Stanford game. He has been a regular this season at women’s games on The Farm and also at Cal in Berkeley. He sat on the baseline with Brink’s parents, Michelle and Greg.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP’s family is close with the Brinks.

“When I was growing up I played with a lot of young girls, we played a lot of pickup together,” Curry said. “I love that the game is growing and getting some more exposure. I grew up watching sports and now to drive awareness on how good the women’s game is, all that stuff matters. I’ve had my daughters here with me to watch, I’ve had my son here with me to watch the game, and they love it. And I’m supporting family, too.”

SENIOR NIGHT The Cardinal recognized their seniors in a postgame ceremony but also acknowledged each UCLA senior before the game.

BIG PICTURE UCLA: Scored 14 points off Stanford’s 15 turnovers. … The Bruins were 2 for 11 on 3-point attempts in the first half and finished 7 for 25 overall, with freshman Kiki Rice going 0 for 3. … UCLA has lost six of the last seven in the series.

Stanford: Brink has scored in double figures in 21 straight games. … After Stanford limited USC to 22% shooting Friday for its lowest by an opponent since 2010, UCLA finished at 36%.

UP NEXT UCLA hosts Washington State on Thursday at 6 p.m.

🎥 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖 🎥

Cameron Brink’s 25 points carry No. 3 @StanfordWBB past No. 17 UCLA in electric matchup. 🌲 pic.twitter.com/PXE12w706E

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) February 21, 2023

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