Giant Oregon State defeated by underdog Bruins on road

Published: Friday, February 28, 1997

Friday, 2/28/97

Turnovers, benches' performances key to both teams' game

By Anthony Carter

Daily Bruin Contributor

So you take a 4-7 road team and send them to play a 7-3 home team and expect them to win. David versus Goliath, right?

Well, actually it was UCLA versus Oregon State at Gill Coliseum. Last night, the Bruins marched in there in front of a crowd of 958 and defeated the Beavers (11-14, 5-11 Pac-10) 79-68.

The loss was only OSU's fifth in its last 31 home games, and it was a huge win for the Bruins, who improved to 12-12, 6-9.

The win clinched a sweep of the season series and boosted UCLA's road record to 5-7.

Turnovers were what kept both teams in the game, and eventually left the Beavers on the losing end. The Bruins forced 35 OSU, while turning it over 31 times on their own.were what kept OSU in the game.

Freshman Melanie Pearson, who tied the game-high with five steals, also committed a team-high 10 turnovers, allowing the Beavers to stay close early.

However Pearson did score 19 points and dish out five assists.

Junior Tawana Grimes, with five steals as well, contributed 10 points and a game-high seven assists, while turning the ball over only twice.

Pearson and fellow freshman Maylana Martin contributed four points apiece in a 10-0 UCLA run with 16:07 remaining in the second half - increasing the Bruin lead to 45-35.

Martin, before fouling out, finished with 12 points and five boards.

The benches of the respective teams played a major part in the game's outcome, as UCLA's reserves outscored those of the Beavers, 28-13. The UCLA bench also grabbed 14 rebounds, compared to the Beavers' six.

The biggest contributors from that bench were freshmen - Takiyah Jackson, with 13 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes of play, while Janae Hubbard scored 10 points and had four rebounds in only 10 minutes of action.

The Beavers did get as close as 58-55 in the second half, but Hubbard scored six of the Bruins' next eight points, extending the UCLA lead to 66-59.