National reaction pours in after USC loses to UCLA in a game which met the hype

Observers were highly impressed by the display from USC and UCLA in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night.

UCLA 71, USC 64. The battle between the Bruins and Trojans was a matchup of unbeatens. Both teams were ranked in the top five of the USA TODAY Sports Women’s College Basketball Poll.

It was a supreme showcase for women’s basketball, particularly in the Pac-12 and especially in the Los Angeles market. There was no bigger women’s basketball game played anywhere in the country on Saturday, though the Utah-Colorado Pac-12 game came close. This game, however, was bigger, since the two teams had a combined 21-0 record.

UCLA won, and the Bruins were clearly the better team. However, USC made UCLA work very hard for the win. The Bruins had to make some very impressive and special plays to reach the finish line. It was an imperfect game, but a game worthy of the hype.

Here’s a sampling of the national reaction: