W. hoops opens with NC State
Bruins, Wolfpack set to battle it out in Pauley Friday
By Hye Kwon
The members of the UCLA women’s basketball team better digest
their Thanksgiving dinners in a hurry because on Friday night they
will have to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Pauley
Pavilion.
Unlike the Bruins who lost all but one starter to graduation,
the Wolfpack return all five starters from last season. They are
led by senior guard Tammy Gibson who averaged 17.2 points and 9.4
rebounds per game, and sophomore guard Jennifer Howard who averaged
15 points and 3.7 rebounds.
"N.C. State is a very athletic team," UCLA head coach Kathy
Olivier said. "They have a lot of quickness and we’re going have to
keep our intensity up for 40 minutes."
Last December, the Bruins traveled to Greensboro and lost a high
scoring affair, 90-88. Guard Nikki Hilbert scored 15 points in that
game, which still stands as her regular season career high. In last
Monday’s match against the club team from Hungary, Hilbert scored
20 points as the Bruins showed flashes of brilliance in the first
half. But if UCLA is to have a successful season, it needs to get
center Zrinka Kristich more involved in the game.
Kristich, the lone returning starter and the player with the
highest scoring average among the returnees, did not score a point
until 9:11 remained in the game. She finished with six points,
which was her scoring average for last season, but given the
overall inexperience of the UCLA team, she needs to step up a notch
this season. However, Olivier contends that scoring is not the only
way Kristich will help the team.
"She does so many things that don’t show up (in the box scores),
Olivier said. "She’s a floor leader and that’s what we need from
her."