Michaela Onyenwere’s 26 Points Propel UCLA To Fifth Straight Pac-12 Semifinal
LAS VEGAS, NEV—Game three of the Pac-12 quarterfinals between the UCLA Bruins (26-4, 14-4 Pac-12) and USC Trojans (17-14, 8-10 Pac-12) had everything a basketball fan could ask for. It had drama, it had emotion and it had nine different lead changes along with six different ties. For 35 intense minutes, no one knew who would come out on top, until UCLA went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes, sealing the deal.
The Bruins will be heading back to the semifinals in the Pac-12 tournament for the fifth straight season after mounting a fourth-quarter comeback over the Trojans.
“It’s been a great March for us,” said UCLA Head Coach Cori Close.
But things weren’t easy for the Bruins throughout most of the game. In the first quarter, USC started things off by going on an 11-0 run, forcing UCLA Head Coach Cori Close to spend an early timeout.
“They were the aggressor,” said Close. “They were getting everything they wanted, the kind of touches they wanted and we were letting their guards get downhill.”
Things didn’t get much better for the Bruins when their shots weren’t falling in. The team shot 0-7 from beyond the arc and only made 22% of their field goals.
The second quarter though, was a completely different story.
The Bruins picked up the pace by pressuring the Trojans, forcing them to commit 4 turnovers and capitalized on offense. Natalie Chou came up clutch for the Bruins, scoring 11 out of the team’s 25 points in the second quarter.
“We're not in that position without Natalie Chou's,” said Close. “Natalie was a huge spark and is the reason we were able to turn that momentum and were able to score like that.”
UCLA went into halftime leading by one (37-36) but would falter once again in the third quarter, allowing USC to take the lead. Senior Forward Kayla Overbeck scored back-to-back-to-back buckets and guard Aliyah Jeune added another 5 points, helping the Trojans to a 6 point lead going entering the fourth quarter.
But as the 8th ranked team in the country has done all season, they were able to find a way to come back and win. Junior Forward Michaela Onyenwere stepped up for the Bruins, scoring ten points in a row for the Bruins and sparking the offense to a 27-point quarter.
“It’s truly amazing, just the things that she does,” said Redshirt Sophomore Lindsey Corsaro about Onyenwere. “I know I'm going to throw it to her in those moments because we know she's going to make plays. I know I can throw the ball kind of anywhere, and she's going to catch it.”
USC’s leading scorer Endyia Rogers would finish the game with 18 points but was never given a chance to help her team to a comeback, fouling out of the game with three minutes remaining in regulation.
“I'm really proud of these kids,” said USC Head Coach Mark Trakh. “These kids just grew up, and they played with a lot of poise, a lot of heart.”
UCLA won by a final score of 73-66 and will take on the Stanford Cardinal tomorrow night at 8:30.
