UCLA Bruins Pull Off Historic Comeback to Defeat Top-Seeded Stanford in Pac-12 Semifinals

The UCLA Bruins pulled off a dramatic upset in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals on Friday, coming back from a 16-point halftime deficit to defeat the top-seeded Stanford Cardinal 69-65. Freshman Kiki Rice led the Bruins with 22 points and made several key free throws late to seal the victory.[0]

Cardinal's Cameron Brink had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Haley Jones added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Stanford had a 16-point lead midway through the second quarter, but UCLA launched a 9-2 run to open the fourth quarter and take their first lead since the opening seconds of the game.[1]

Rice amassed 11 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter, including two free throws with 5.3 seconds left to secure the victory.[2] She was also 12-of-13 from the line. Emily Bessoir finished with 14 points and six rebounds, and Charisma Osborne added 13 points for the Bruins.[1]

Despite the loss, Stanford is still on track to claim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.[3] Brink dropped 19 points and had 11 rebounds for the Cardinal in the loss, and Jones finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Cardinal shot 4-of-11 from 3-point range, and were the only two players to reach double digits in the scoring column.[3]

The Bruins' remarkable comeback victory put them in the Pac-12 championship game, where they will face the winner of the Washington/Oregon State semifinal.

0. “5-seed UCLA rallies in 4th quarter to stun 1-seed Stanford in semifinals of 2023 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament” Yahoo Entertainment, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/5-seed-ucla-rallies-4th-044059402.html

1. “UCLA stuns top-seeded Stanford to reach Pac-12 tournament championship game” Yahoo Sports, 4 Mar. 2023, https://sports.yahoo.com/ucla-stuns-top-seeded-stanford-to-reach-pac-12-tournament-championship-game-045254273.html

2. “Women’s basketball: UCLA stuns Stanford with late rally in Pac-12 semifinals” BuffZone, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.buffzone.com/2023/03/03/womens-basketball-ucla-stuns-stanford-with-late-rally-in-pac-12-semifinals

3. “‘Monumental' win over Stanford sends UCLA to Pac-12 Tournament title game” Pac-12.com, 4 Mar. 2023, https://pac-12.com/article/2023/03/03/monumental-win-over-stanford-sends-ucla-pac-12-tournament-title-game

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