MIDWEST REGIONAL : UCLA Beats Notre Dame, 93-72

For UCLA Coach Billie Moore, it didn’t matter that the NCAA women’s tournament jitters may have forced Notre Dame to miss its first nine shots in Wednesday night’s first-round game at Pauley Pavilion.

“Well, we’ve missed our first nine shots before and come back to win,� Moore said.

Moore smiled and glanced at some of her players in the media interview room. They all laughed because it certainly didn’t happen in this game as fifth-seeded UCLA defeated No. 12 Notre Dame, 93-72, before a crowd of 441 in the Midwest Regional.

The victory was especially meaningful since the Bruins (20-9) hadn’t won a game in the NCAA tournament since beating Washington in the first round in the 1984-85 season.

Now, UCLA will play No. 4-seeded Texas in the second round at Austin on Sunday.

This was the first NCAA appearance for Notre Dame (14-17) and it showed. The Irish not only missed their first nine shots, they went one for 14 to open the game and shot 29% in the first half.

“I thought they were all good shots,� said Notre Dame Coach Muffet McGraw of the first nine. “They were all 10 to 15 feet in and we should make at least half of them--usually. We were extremely nervous at the outset and we never regained composure.�

That slow start couldn’t have been more beneficial to the Bruins. Forward Natalie Williams has been suffering from bronchitis and guard Rehema Stephens has been slowed by a stress fracture in her left foot.

By the time Notre Dame made its second field goal, UCLA led 17-4, six and a half minutes into the game. The Bruins were able to stay composed even when the Irish eventually pulled within nine with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

“I didn’t think we’d ever get our second wind,� Moore said. “We’ve all been fighting colds and I was concerned about that early. I thought we came out a lot quicker in the second half.�

Particularly reserve forward Amy Jalewalia, who scored all 21 of her points in the second half, including one stretch of 13 points in a row.

Williams, bronchitis and all, hardly struggled as she finished with a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Her rebounding gave the Bruins a decided edge, 64-37. Despite being ill, Williams still played 28 minutes.

Notre Dame was led by freshman guard Michelle Marciniak, who came off the bench to score 21 points.