No. 14 UCLA falls apart late in overtime loss to No. 22 Arizona

No. 14 UCLA falls apart down stretch in overtime loss to No. 22 Arizona

Arizona guard Shaina Pellington, center, shoots between UCLA forward Emily Bessoir, left, and guard Gina Conti.

Associated Press

Feb. 3, 2023 10:56 PM PT

Shaina Pellington led No. 22 Arizona on an 11-0 run to tie the game, then scored six over her team’s 10 points in overtime to earn the Wildcats a 71-66 win over No. 14 UCLA in the lone meeting of the regular season between the Pac-12 Conference rivals on Friday night.

Arizona came into the game after losing at home to Washington State, 70-59 and trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half against the Bruins.

UCLA struggled from the field, hitting just 22 of 72 shots from the floor, but hit 11 of 31 from beyond the arc and that long-range boost was the difference through the first three quarters. Freshman Londynn Jones came off the bench to hit five of seven from three and Emily Bessoir was four of 10.

Jones hit from three with 4:49 left to give the Bruins a 61-50 lead, but UCLA did not score again until Jones hit a three with 3:33 left in overtime.

Arizona’s Lauren Fields, who had not made a field goal all night, took a kick-out pass from Pellington and drilled a three with 1:08 left to make it 61-61, but the Wildcats could not find a go-ahead point and the game went to overtime.

Pellington hit a jumper in the lane to open overtime and Esmery Martinez made a mid-range jumper before Jones hit to get UCLA within one. Pellington hit two free throws to take a three-point lead, 67-64, and after a timeout UCLA opted to have Kiki Rice drive for a layup. Down by one, the Bruins sent Madison Conner and Pellington to the line and they each hit both free throws to close out the win.