UC Irvine can’t keep up with UCLA, 66-62

IRVINE — With the ball staying put on the back of the rim, UC Irvine’s Naomi Halman quickly grabbed the broom behind the basket.

The 6-foot-4 freshman from the Netherlands went to work, not waiting for an official to bring the ball down. Soon after knocking the ball free, Halman tried to help the Anteaters knock off UCLA for the first time in school history.

It almost happened Monday night at the Bren Events Center.

Starting in place of the Anteaters’ injured leading scorer, Halman scored 14 of her career-high 16 points in the second half, but the Bruins’ held on late for a 66-62 nonconference victory.

UCLA is now 8-0 all-time against the Anteaters (2-5).

But Halman and the rest of the cast, playing without Kelly Cochran (knee) for the entire game, and then the team’s second-leading scorer, Angie Ned, who went down late with a leg injury, surprised the Bruins (5-4).

“The girls, [most] coming from California, [know] UCLA is always the team to play,” said Halman, who was five-for-15 shooting. “Coming from the Netherlands there are only a couple of [college] teams you really know, and UCLA is one of them.

“We had a WNBA player [play for] UCLA, and she’s Dutch.”

Halman showcased why in a few years she might be able to play at the next level.

She contributed in many ways, picking up the scoring slack for Cochran (12.4 points per game) and Ned (10.7), who finished with eight points on four-for-16 shooting after pouring in a career-best 37 points last Friday in a 79-59 win against Loyola Marymount.

Halman added nine rebounds, five on the offensive side, and two steals. One of those steals led to two UC Irvine points during a 14-3 run that cut UCLA’s lead to 63-60 with 1 minute, 34 seconds remaining.

When UCLA guard Shaina Zaidi came up court she showed the ball to the bigger Halman, and Halman ripped it away. She then tossed the ball up court to Miranda Forry, who at the 2:04 mark went in for an uncontested layup to give her 10 points.

Then it was Christina Zdenek coming up with a steal off UCLA’s big-time player, Noelle Quinn. The 6-foot senior, who’s a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award, hurt the Anteaters all night with her ability to drive and shoot.

But when Quinn, who led everyone with 21 points, tried to turn around and shoot over the smaller and foul-troubled 5-10 Annie Mae, Zdenek came over and knocked the ball free. Zdenek raced the other way for a layup, and UC Irvine was on the verge of upsetting the Bruins, who are a perennial top-25 team.

UC Irvine had its chances. But after calling a timeout with 51.8 seconds left, it went to Halman at a time it should’ve gone to someone else.

The Bruins, who committed 23 turnovers, finally forced a miscue. They covered Halman down low with two players, and when UC Irvine forward Stephanie Duda forced a pass into Halman, UCLA came away with the ball.

Afterward, UC Irvine fouled Lindsay Pluimer, and she converted 1 of 2 free throws to put UCLA ahead, 64-60. And when the Anteaters missed their next two shots and turned the ball over, it was over.

“I’m proud of them. They blew us [out] last year,” said UC Irvine Coach Molly Tuter of the game at Pauley Pavilion, where UCLA won 92-54. “We were two plays away from this one being ours.

“(Halman) did a nice job. I think I didn’t go all the way to the Netherlands to find a marginal ballplayer.”

Or someone to use a broom at UC Irvine.

Nonconference

UCLA 66,

UC Irvine 62

UCLA -- Henderson 2, Pluimer 9, Ibekwe 4, Livingston 3, Quinn 21, Zaidi 12, Pitts 2, Latimer 4, Williams 3, Alexander 6.

3-pt. goals -- Zaidi 3, Quinn 1, Williams 1.

Fouled out -- Ibekwe.

Technicals -- None.

UC Irvine -- Mai 5, Halman 16, Ned 8, Duda 7, Zdenek 10, Lisnere 6, Forry 10.

3-pt. goals -- Forry 2, Mai 1.

Fouled out -- Mai.

Technicals -- None.

Halftime -- 35-32, UCLA