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Arizona guard Aari McDonald dives for a loose ball as UCLA guard Charisma Osborne, left, and forward Michaela Onyenwere defend during the first half of Friday night’s Pac-12 Tournament semifinal in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA forward Emily Bessoir (11) shoots as Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA forward Michaela Onyenwere (21) shoots as Arizona forward Lauren Ware (32) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA forward Lauryn Miller (33) and Arizona forward Cate Reese (25) fight for control of the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA guard Lindsey Corsaro (4) shoots as Arizona guard Bendu Yeaney (23) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) shoots as UCLA forward Emily Bessoir defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA forward Michaela Onyenwere shoots during the second half of the team’s NCAA college basketball game against Arizona in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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Arizona forward Sam Thomas (14) shoots as UCLA guard Natalie Chou (23) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA forward Michaela Onyenwere (21) shoots as Arizona forward Trinity Baptiste (0) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA forward Michaela Onyenwere (21) shoots over Arizona forward Cate Reese (25) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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The Arizona bench reacts after a teammate’s 3-point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UCLA in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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UCLA guard Chantel Horvat (0) celebrates a teammate’s 3-point against Arizona during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Michaela Onyenwere dribbled the ball hard and fast, crossed the court in nearly a full sprint and pounded the ball off the backboard when she went in for a layup.
Onyenwere scored 24 points and that late-game moment helped the UCLA women’s basketball team stave off a fourth-quarter rally by Arizona, 58-49, on Friday night to reach the Pac-12 Tournament championship game at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
The third-seeded Bruins (16-4) will play top-seeded Stanford (24-2) for the conference title on Sunday at 5 p.m.
The Bruins overcame an off-shooting night in the semifinals and a late push from second-seeded Arizona (16-5), which carved into a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to get within two with a little more than a minute left. That’s when Onyenwere made her coast-to-coast layup to begin a 9-2 UCLA run over the final 1:04.
“Today I just wanted to really focus on being really steady,” Onyenwere said. “I think yesterday I could have done a better job of that, so I wanted to come in and do what I need to do for my team, whether that meant drive to the basket, getting rebounds or whatever I needed to do.”
Natalie Chou added seven points, six rebounds and three steals for UCLA, including a key defensive rebound and free throw during the Bruins’ last surge. Charisma Osborne also had seven points, four in the final 23 seconds.
“Natalie has gone from defining herself as just a shooter to being a great basketball player, a multifaceted, versatile playmaker,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “It wasn’t about stats tonight; it was about doing whatever our team needed to win the game. That’s exactly what Charisma Osborne did.”
Emily Bessoir added six points and seven rebounds for UCLA, which lost 68-65 at Arizona in their lone meeting during the regular season.
Pac-12 Player of the Year Aari McDonald led Arizona with 24 points and eight rebounds.
One night after the Bruins limited Washington to a season-low 46 points in the quarterfinals, they held Arizona to its lowest output – 18½ points below its season average of 67.5 per game. The Wildcats’ previous low was 59 in a nine-point victory over Cal on Feb. 19.
“We really wanted to focus on being super steady,” Onyenwere said. “We knew there were going to be ups and downs, lefts and rights with Arizona. They’re a great team and they like to take you out of rhythm on offense and on defense. Our keyword was to stay steady. They went on that run in the fourth quarter. And every single huddle and timeout we were like, ‘Look, stay steady. They’re going to make their run. Stay steady.’”
Neither team came out with any sort of rhythm, as UCLA was a dismal 3 for 16 from the floor in the first quarter while Arizona shot just 4 for 10. The Bruins’ relentless pressure on the ball, led by Chou’s two steals, forced the Wildcats into six turnovers in the opening period.
But as UCLA began to find a groove, Arizona’s struggles carried into the second quarter after the Wildcats took a 13-10 lead on Cate Reese’s short jumper. They fell into an 0-for-10 drought from the floor over the final 9:13 of the first half. UCLA took advantage by shooting 8 for 14 down the stretch and using a 15-4 run to take a 25-17 lead into the locker room. Onyenwere had 10 points and two steals in the first half, while the Bruins limited Arizona to a 1-for-6 showing from 3-point range.
Looking to give her team a spark, McDonald struggled while taking many of Arizona’s shots on offense. She went 1 for 6 in the second quarter, and 2 for 9 in the first half. Only one other Wildcats player had two attempts in the second period, and nobody else took more than three shots in the opening half.
McDonald finished 8 for 24, while no other Arizona player had more than seven attempts. Arizona forward Sam Thomas came in shooting 53% from 3-point range over her last nine games, but she took just two shots from deep and made one.
“I think both teams struggled offensively, because we both played solid defense,” said Arizona coach Adia Barnes, whose team now waits to find out where it will be seeded for the NCAA Tournament later this month.
Osborne had scored in double figures in 12 straight games and brought a 17.8 scoring average into Friday night, but the sophomore guard finished 1 for 12 from the floor in 35 minutes.
Now, the Bruins turn their focus to Stanford. The teams split their regular-season meetings, with the Cardinal winning, 61-49, in Westwood and the Bruins winning the rematch, 70-66, which was played in Santa Cruz because of COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County at the time.
“We made a commitment in the locker room that we won’t speak of this (Arizona) game after 11 p.m.,” Close said. “We’re very focused on putting our energy and our time into being ready to prepare and to get our mind and hearts right, but tomorrow is going to be much more mental.”
In the other semifinal …
Cameron Brink scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Stanford to a 79-45 victory over Oregon State. Brink, a freshman, finished 9 for 13 from the floor while adding four blocked shots. Kiana Williams had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists for Stanford (24-2). Lexie Hull contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, and Hannah Jump added 10 points and five boards.
Aleah Goodman scored 12 points and Taylor Jones pulled down 13 rebounds to lead Oregon State (11-7), which was playing its third tournament game in three days.
News services contributed to this story.
.@monyenwere_ powers to the rim! Bruins back up four!
| @Pac12Network
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 6, 2021
| “If you want to be successful at the highest level, you have to be the tougher, more together team” — @CoachCoriClose
Coach Close’s postgame interview included some analysis of tonight’s win and praise for the wonderful coverage provided by @Pac12Network!
— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 6, 2021
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