UA falls to UCLA in season finale

Associated Press Arizona Daily Wildcat UCLA guard Michelle Greco (20) knocks the ball away as Arizona junior guard Lisa Griffith (3) drives for the basket in the first half of their Pac-10 game against the Bruins Saturday at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. UCLA won, 85-77.

LOS ANGELES - Maylana Martin scored 20 points as No. 16 UCLA won a share of the Pacific 10 Conference title, its first in 20 years, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with an 85-77 win over Arizona Saturday.

UCLA (23-7, 15-3 Pac-10) had five players in double figures and ended the season with a conference record in wins. Oregon also finished 15-3 in the conference, but UCLA gets the Pac-10's automatic bid to the tournament by virtue of a tiebreaker.

LaCresha Flannigan added 16 points while Janae Hubbard scored 14 and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds, the fourth most in school history.

"When Janae plays big minutes she gets big numbers," UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said. "She had 33 minutes to get her numbers tonight. It is something we expect from her and something she expects."

Hubbard said her intensity never dropped during the game.

"Every time we had the ball, I was looking for it and wanting it," she said.

The Bruins led by one point at 33-32 with 3:39 left in the first half, but then went on a 10-4 run to lead at halftime 43-36.

UCLA pushed the lead to as much as 15 at 75-60 with 4:15 to play in the second half before Arizona (17-10, 12-6) cut the lead to five with 32 seconds left, but Martin and Michelle Greco hit four free throws to seal the game.

Arizona had four players in double digits including 18 each by Reshea Bristol and Felicity Willis. Angela Lackey added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

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The Pac-10 All-Conference team was announced yesterday, with Arizona's Lackey and Willis named to the first team. Lisa Griffith earned honorable mention, and freshman Elizabeth Pickney was named to the All-Freshman team.

UCLA's Martin was named player of the year, while Oregon's Shaquala Williams was freshman of the year and Ducks' head coach Jody Runge was named coach of the year.