UCLA shot just 23% in the first half and trailed 27-15 before Osborne’s buzzer-beater. The Bruins then scored the first 16 points of the second half.
“In hindsight, I think it really did make a huge emotional difference,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I think it took a little bit of the wind out of their sails, and it’s the difference between a 12-point deficit and a nine-point deficit. But I think it’s one of those intangible moment things. Who knows, but it seemed to deflate them a little bit.”
Osborne and Kiki Rice scored 12 points apiece and Lina Sontag contributed 11 points and eight rebounds for the Bruins (16-3, 5-2 Pac-12 Conference), who have won two games in a row since a loss at then-No. 2 Stanford a week ago.
The Bruins struggled at first against Washington’s defense, which ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in points allowed at 58.6 per game.
“You know when a team is really solid defensively that you’re going to have to make plays even easier for yourself,” Rice said. “You’re really going to have to execute well, have to get your teammates open, get good screens, set good screens and make good reads. I think we did struggle with that tonight.”
Jayda Noble led the way with nine points for Washington (10-7, 2-5) and Darcy Rees scored eight. The Huskies were held to a season low in scoring and have lost five of six.
Rees scored Washington’s first points of the second half, a layup with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter. The Bruins outscored the Huskies 22-8 in the third.
“I think it was just a team effort,” Sontag said. “At halftime, we were talking about that we really need to get ourselves together, execute the scouting report and get the ball inside. I think we really executed in the first six minutes of the third quarter.”
But Washington made it close in the fourth, going on an 8-0 run as UCLA went more than six minutes without a field goal. The Bruins closed it out on two free throws by Sontag, one by Osborne and one by Gina Conti.
The Bruins were also held to a season low in points and were outrebounded 46-37.
“I think this is a really great team we just played,” Washington coach Tina Langley said. “Really well-coached and really well-known for their rebounding, so I’m proud that we outrebounded them today. It’s a big deal, something we worked on this week, and I thought they really battled.”
Big picture
Washington: The Huskies rank last in the Pac-12 in scoring at 64.7 points per game.
UCLA: The Bruins have won five in a row over the Huskies. Washington’s most recent victory over UCLA came on Feb. 23, 2020.
Up next
UCLA: At Washington State on Sunday
Washington: Hosts USC on Sunday.