Women’s basketball: UCLA suffers its first loss of the season

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The UCLA women’s basketball team, ranked No. 8 in the nation, lost to unranked Louisiana State, 55-53, on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion, snapping the Bruins’ 10-game win streak to open the season. The Bruins entered the game off to their best start since the 1980-81 season, when they won 12 consecutive games.

After the game, UCLA Coach Nikki Caldwell said the Bruins’ inability to consistently make layups has been hurting them all season, but she added, ‘We’ve been able to do enough on the defensive end to masquerade it.’

However, UCLA couldn’t mask its weaknesses against Louisiana State, and Caldwell said she is prepared to take the necessary steps to move the team in the right direction.

‘Maybe my next thing is to bring in a psychiatrist,’ she said.

Senior guard Darxia Morris, who led the Bruins (10-1) with 16 points, said the team didn’t discuss their impressive winning streak -- and won’t dwell on this heartbreaking loss.

‘We take it game by game,’ she said. ‘We don’t look ahead or backwards.’

-- Melissa Rohlin