Free Ball

Date: January 3, 2014

Destination: Pauley Pavilion, Westwood

Cost: $1.00 plus gas

It’s worthwhile to pay attention to your email inbox. Buried in the World Market ads and travel newsletters, I found a voucher for four free tickets to a UCLA women’s basketball game. Since I like basketball, UCLA and women (not in that way), I headed over Benedict Canyon to Westwood for the 5:00 p.m. start.

Since school was in recess for the holidays, it was easy to find free parking on Gayley Ave., which made for a short walk to the beautifully upgraded Pauley Pavilion. It’s hard to believe the shining wood floor was flooded by the huge water main break on Sunset Blvd. just a few months ago. Once inside, it was apparent why the tickets were free – the game against Oregon State University was sparsely attended – primarily by families, but there were some students there, a vocal OSU contingent and some die-hard women’s basketball fans.

Despite the small turn-out, the game felt like a big deal.The cheer squad showed tons of enthusiasm - their feats of balance and strength have come a long way since I attended college in the seventies. The big screen above the scoreboard was used to entertain fans by displaying player profiles and brief interviews, bingo numbers, and kids in the audience wildly dancing for the camera. There were lots of freebies going out to the small crowd, with water bottles and t-shirts hurled into the stands by cheer team members and a jewelry giveaway during the halftime break.

The Bruin women played with a lot of heart but had a hard time finding the basket, with a mere 25% shooting ratio. It didn’t help that the Amazonian OSU women were top-ranked and hit so many three pointers that they became invincible. The Bruin highlight was the heads-up play of Nirra Fields, who scored twenty points and passed the 1,000 point collegiate career mark that evening. In the end, Oregon State topped the Bruins, 65-47.

Despite the loss, I had fun. I munched on a $1.00 hot dog (another perk provided by the   e-mail coupon) and the bear mascot, Josie Bruin, plopped down in front of me in the stands while interacting with fans.I think the UCLA promotion did the trick: I’m hooked, and plan to return to Pauley for more women’s hoops.