By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer
STANFORD — UCLA kept it close until the end this time, but another upset big 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.
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. UCLA pounded the boards for a 36-33 advantage, getting 17 on the offensive glass.
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.
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…
Read the full article here
