Bruins Find a Star While Losing Again

UCLA lost its third consecutive game to open the season Sunday afternoon, but may have found a big-time player.

Melanie Pearson, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Irvine, took command of a dramatic late charge, sending the game into overtime before finishing with 30 points in a 93-91 double-overtime loss to Notre Dame.

Her most dramatic play was a highly improbable three-point basket from the corner that beat the horn at the end of regulation for a 67-67 tie.

But it wasn’t enough to avoid an 0-3 start to what many sized up as a breakthrough season for UCLA.

UCLA led Notre Dame (3-1) early in a game witnessed by 550 at Pauley Pavilion, and held the Irish to single-digit points for almost eight minutes in taking a 21-9 lead.

But Notre Dame rallied and the result was a second-half battle that saw the lead change hands 11 times, then six more times in the two overtimes.

Pearson, who started the last 12 games last season as a freshman, came off the bench Sunday, in part because starting point guard Erica Gomez played only four first-half minutes, unable to contribute because of a two-day-old foot sprain.

First Pearson made a three-pointer for a 39-39 tie, then added another for a 45-44 UCLA lead. Then a third three-pointer created a 50-50 tie with seven minutes left.

She made two free throws and a crazy-looking, 12-foot-long layup to create another tie, 58-58.

Notre Dame seemed to have won the game in regulation when freshman Kelley Siemon, who had 20 points, intercepted a UCLA pass under the Notre Dame basket and was fouled by Maylana Martin with 12 seconds to go.

She made both free throws for a 67-64 Notre Dame lead.

UCLA got the ball to Pearson, who threw up a rushed, off-balance corner shot that went in.

Pearson then scored UCLA’s first four points of the first overtime. UCLA’s Tawana Grimes tied it at 79 with a layup with 28 seconds left but a second overtime was assured when Notre Dame’s Danielle Green blew an uncontested layup with 10 seconds left.

Enter Pearson . . . again.

She kept UCLA close with a putback, two free throws and a drive, bringing the Bruins to an 88-87 deficit.

But after a Notre Dame three-pointer put them up, 86-85, 2:34 to go, UCLA never led again.