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UCLA senior guard Lisa Willis drives to the basket against Bowling Green’s Carin Horne duri

Anything Noelle Quinn can do, Lisa Willis can do better.

At least that’s the competitive rivalry the Bruin guards employed in UCLA’s 74-61 win over Bowling Green in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Quinn and Willis, as they have done all season long, put the Bruins on solid footing just when they appeared to be falling to the ground.

UCLA (21-10) had a rough start to its tournament, shooting 1-7 from the field and committing three turnovers in the first few minutes of the game.

Enter Quinn.

The junior standout made her next five shots, sparking a 16-0 run that turned a 15-13 deficit into a 29-16 Bruin lead.

“It got a little bit sticky there, but luckily Noelle caught fire,” Willis said. “She couldn’t miss.”

UCLA lost its momentum in the second half when Bowling Green (28-3) whittled a 20-point deficit down to five. All of a sudden the Bruins looked tired and out of rhythm.

Enter Willis.

The senior guard went off, hitting her next four 3-pointers and puncturing any inflated hopes of an improbable Falcon comeback. Quinn owned the first half and Willis took over the deeds in the second, a trend that has carried on from the regular season to when it matters most.

“I don’t know why, but it always happens like that,” Quinn said. “In the first half I was feeling it, and in the second half Lisa took over.”

12th-seeded Bowling Green hadn’t allowed an opponent to break 70 points in 30 games this year, but couldn’t contain fifth-seeded UCLA because of the mismatches on the outside posed by Quinn and Willis. The guards were simply faster and stronger than anyone in the Falcons’ lineup, and were at their best moving the ball upcourt in transition.

Willis is in the midst of the most prolific run of her career. After winning Pac-10 Tournament MVP honors, she continued to her strong play on both ends of the court on Sunday. But she was hesitant to call her current run the best of her collegiate career.

“Some would say yes, and some would say no,” Willis said. “I think I’ve played this well before, but the difference is that I am doing it on the biggest stage. It feels so good to play to my potential in games that matter.”

Quinn and Willis each played over 35 minutes, despite the fact that they played the majority of the second half with three fouls. The two guards combined to score 44 points and 19 rebounds. Nikki Blue and Lindsey Pluimer also played 36 and 39 minutes, respectively, while being in foul trouble. But UCLA coach Kathy Olivier opted to keep her starting five out on the court for as long as possible.

The strategy could have backfired if Bowling Green had kept the game close in the final minutes, but Olivier wanted the game to rest in the hands of her sharpshooters, fouls or not, and she was rewarded for the coaching move.

“(Quinn and Willis) are playing with as much confidence as they’ve ever had,” Olivier said. “They are fun to watch right now.”

PAC-10 SUCCESS: For the second straight year, the Pac-10 has fared well in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The conference received six bids in the tournament, and has justified the selection committee’s faith in its teams.

Arizona State beat Stephen F. Austin, 80-63, to play Utah today in the Albuquerque Regional. USC advanced to play top-seeded Duke on Tuesday after beating South Florida, 67-65.

Eighth-seeded Washington’s 73-69 win over Minnesota pits them against top-seeded LSU tonight in the San Antonio Regional. Stanford, the Pac-10’s highest seed at No. 3 in the San Antonio Regional, beat Southeastern Missouri State, 72-45, and faces Florida State today.

California lost to St. John’s in the 7-10 game of the Albuquerque Regional.