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Sophomore guard Lisa Willis scored 17 points in a losing battle Tuesday night, as the Bruins fell

Needing to boost her team’s strength of schedule for the NCAA selection committee in March, UCLA coach Kathy Olivier didn’t hesitate to sign the Bruins up for No. 2 Texas.

Little did she know that her Bruins – who were at a huge disadvantage on paper – would be more than up to the task, at least for a half.

However, the effort ultimately wasn’t enough, as UCLA fell in a game that was much closer than the 89-58 score would indicate.

“I was so impressed with our resiliency in the first half,” Olivier said. “We got after it defensively and got easy baskets. It was nice to hang in there with a team as good as Texas. But we didn’t play 40 minutes of basketball.”

UCLA (1-1) began the game at a disadvantage, as starting guard Nikki Blue was taken out of the lineup for being late to a team function.

However, the Bruins showed that they would not give in. Not particularly known for their outside shooting, the Bruins started the game hot from beyond the arc, connecting on five of their first seven three-point attempts and taking a 23-21 lead.

From there, however, Texas (3-0) reeled off 10 straight points. The Longhorns would eventually push the lead to their largest margin of the first half, 35-24.

Not to be outdone, UCLA responded with a double-digit run of its own, scoring 11 straight points to tie the game at 35, en route to a 37-35 halftime deficit.

“We were feisty and kept them off the boards,” Olivier said. “We didn’t give up second chances. But the second half was entirely different.”

Indeed, Texas began showing how it garnered its No. 2 ranking, as its advantage in talent level and height finally overwhelmed the Bruins. After tying the game at 37 on Blue’s quick layup to open the half, UCLA went ice-cold from the field while the Longhorns got hot from outside and started to pound the ball inside.

Texas went on a 19-5 run to take a 56-42 lead, and would not look back. The Texas run was aided by a left shoulder injury sustained by UCLA forward Jamila Veasley. With Veasley out, and the Longhorns leading just 43-39, Texas did not hesitate to go inside.

The preliminary diagnosis is that Veasley has a sprained left shoulder, but she will undergo X-rays.

“It really hurt us in the second half,” Olivier said. “She’s a senior and would have helped us with rebounding and inside presence. She is a big loss.”

Freshman sensation Tiffany Jackson finished with a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Longhorns, while UCLA’s Lisa Willis hit five three-pointers to finish with 17 points.

UCLA will continue its brutal non-conference schedule, as they return home to face Illinois. However, Olivier feels the Bruins will enter that game a little wiser.

“We learned a lot from this game,” Olivier said. “We played a physical team (Tuesday), and Texas showed us what happens. Illinois will do the same, too, so we just have to get more physical inside.”