UCLA Women’s Hoops: Coach Cori’s Bruins Can’t Close, Lose to Oregon, 65-62

If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was watching a rerun of the game these two teams played twelve days ago.

That’s because, again, UCLA had the lead in the fourth quarter and, again, the Bruins could not finish.

UCLA led for 32 minutes and 18 seconds in this game. Meanwhile, the Ducks led for just 4 minutes and 4 seconds. But, when one of those four minutes is the final minute of the game, it doesn’t matter that the Bruins led for more than three-quarters of the game.

The funny thing is that both halves pretty much ended the same way: with the Bruins blowing big leads. In the first half, UCLA had a 13-point lead with 4:22 to go and Oregon finished the half by going on a 13-2 run, closing the gap to just 2 at the break.

In the end, I don’t know if the problem is Cori Close’s coaching or what.

But, when Jordin Canada and Monique Billings came to Westwood, UCLA had the top recruiting class in the country, yet the Bruins under Close have still accomplished very little.

Sure, the Bruins were ranked #9 in the nation heading into the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, but, when you lose three times in a season to the #6 team in the nation, does your Top Ten ranking mean much?

All I know after watching this team play over the past few weeks is that, at least right now, it sure seems like Coach Close can’t live up to her name.


Go Bruins.