Honolulu -- The No. 24 Nebraska women's basketball lost its first game of the season, falling to No. 12 UCLA, 85-67, in the opening round of the 20th Annual Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday, Nov. 27.
The Huskers, who fell to 3-1 with the loss, got 22 points from junior guard Brooke Schwartz and 20 points from junior guard Nicole Kubik, but it was not enough to prevent the Bruins from improving to 2-2 on the season.
Nebraska coach Paul Sanderford said he was disappointed with the Huskers' performance.
"We got physically manhandled out there," Sanderford said. "I was shocked that we didn't battle more physically than we did. I was very disappointed in the play of our basketball team. We didn't play the kind of tough, physical basketball that we have come to expect from Nebraska."
Maylana Martin scored 16 points to lead four Bruins in double figures. Janae
Hubbard and Marie Philman each scored 15 points, while LaCresha Flannigan came off the bench to add 10 points for UCLA. Erica Gomez contributed 10 assists and six steals to go along with her seven-point performance for the Bruins.
Sanderford praised the performance of the Bruins.
"UCLA is a great team," Sanderford said. "After watching what Hubbard and Martin did to us inside, you understand why they're All-Americans."
UCLA sizzled from the field all afternoon, connecting on 53.8 percent of its shots. The Bruins' shooting performance came against a Husker squad that had held each of its first three opponents to under 30 percent field-goal shooting.
The Huskers hit just 38.5 percent of their shots and committed 24 turnovers, while being outrebounded by the Bruins, 44-34.
Nebraska will continue play in the tournament tomorrow (Nov. 28) by battling St. John's at 1 p.m. central time (9 a.m. in Hawaii). The Red Storm lost the tournament's first game to No. 5 North Carolina, 77-67. Against the Tar Heels, St. John's Ebony Dickinson scored 30 points and added nine rebounds. Chanel Wright led the Tar Heels with 33 points.