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Though it was within their grasps, junior Nikki Blue and the Bruins couldn’t capitalize on

Given 27 games to define the 2004-2005 season, the UCLA women’s basketball team will likely look back at the final minute of its final game as the determinant to this season’s fate.

Down by three to USC with 10 seconds remaining, junior Lisa Willis, who was fouled on a 3-point attempt, stepped up to the free-throw line with a chance to tie.

She missed the first free throw.

Down by two with four seconds remaining, junior Nikki Blue, who was fouled on a drive to the basket, stepped up to the free-throw line with a chance to tie.

She missed the second.

Afforded two golden opportunities to extend its season and keep its NCAA Tournament aspirations on life support, UCLA capitalized on neither.

Instead the Bruins lost 80-77 in heartbreaking fashion to the Trojans on Saturday at The Sports Arena in a crosstown showdown with enormous postseason implications.

“We knew this game carried a lot of weight, and we let it go,” said Willis, who finished with a game-high 25 points.

“Nikki and Lisa is what got us there, and I would have loved for them to finish it by making their free throws,” UCLA coach Kathy Olivier said. “I thought they were going to be successful and that we were going into overtime.”

In a game in which it appeared the winner would take a giant step toward securing a berth to the NCAA Tournament, UCLA only made its goal of securing a bid to the big dance that much more difficult.

With their loss to USC, the Bruins (16-11, 10-8 Pac-10) finished the season in sixth place in the Pac-10.

Now they will most likely have to win two games in the conference tournament next week if they want to hear their name called on Selection Sunday.

“There are six teams from the Pac-10 that can go to the NCAA Tournament, but it’s going to be interesting because I think they would only take five,” Olivier said.

“I think we need two wins (in the Pac-10 Tournament). If we get one win and lose, I think the committee would struggle with that,” she added.

While UCLA professes its focus is preparing for the conference tournament, some players confess they’ll have lingering thoughts on how they let Saturday’s game slip through their fingers.

Trailing USC (18-9, 12-6) by six points with 40.5 seconds to play and the outcome appearing all but decided, UCLA reached deep into its bag of tricks to mount a spirited and unrealistic comeback.

After Willis buried one of her six 3-pointers to bring the Bruins to within three at 77-74 with 20 seconds left, the Trojans committed a turnover inbounding the ball.

On the ensuing UCLA possession, Willis spotted up from behind-the-arc once again, this time getting fouled on her shot attempt.

An 80 percent free-throw shooter on the year, Willis stepped to the line with the season, and perhaps the NCAA Tournament, on the line, but had her first attempt rattle in-and-out.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Willis said. “I knew I had to be clutch, and 2 of 3 doesn’t get it done when you need three. I felt like I let the team down.”

But UCLA’s fate hadn’t been sealed quite yet.

After USC sophomore Eshaya Murphy converted 1 of 2 attempts from the charity stripe to give the Trojans a two-point lead at 78-76, Blue was inadvertently tripped on her way to the basket with five seconds left.

A 71 percent free-throw shooter, Blue calmly sank her first attempt, but came up well short on the second.

“I can’t believe I missed the second one,” Blue said. “I’m going to think about that for the rest of the week.”

Even after an agonizing defeat, however, Blue still found reason to walk off the court smiling, laughing and loudly clapping her hands.

They may have just lost a nip-and-tuck battle to their heated rivals.

They may have just squandered numerous golden opportunities to send the same into overtime. They may have just sealed their postseason fate.

Yet the Pac-10 Tournament provides one last opportunity for the Bruins to prove their worth.

“It’s not over,” Blue said.

And that one last chance is reason enough to smile.