W. basketball is looking to
rebound from early losses
Bruins vying for
first road victory
tonight at USD
By Hye Kwon
Rebound will be the operative word when the UCLA women’s
basketball team travels to University of San Diego this afternoon
for a 5:15 p.m. game against the Toreros.
First, the Bruins (1-2 overall) will look to "rebound" from the
bad loss they suffered at the hands of the Boise State Broncos last
weekend. The total points scored by the Bruins (45 points) was the
lowest offensive output in five seasons. Second, UCLA was
out-rebounded, 54-50, and according to head coach Kathy Olivier,
fundamentals such as boxing out and rebounding take precedence over
wins and losses.
"We’re focusing on areas we can improve on rather than wins and
losses," Olivier said. "Hopefully that will get some more wins for
us."
Hardly noticeable in the first two home matchups, the lack of
team experience showed in the loss against the Broncos.
"I’m not saying that we were scared (of Boise State)," Olivier
said. "But I think that experience always plays a big factor on how
you play on the road."
Ready or not, the Bruins are on the road again. This afternoon,
they will go up against a USD team that is equally hungry to end a
losing pattern of their own. The Toreros are 1-3 overall with
recent losses to Fresno State and San Diego State.
UCLA’s front court of Zrinka Kristich and Kisa Hughes should be
able to dominate the boards against the Torero front court of
center Lorice Watson (6 feet) and forward Michelle Brovelli (5 feet
10 inches). Kristich and Hughes will have five- and six-inch height
advantages, respectively, on their counterparts.
Hughes, in particular, has been slowly establishing herself as
the team’s offensive punch as well as the rebounding force that the
team desperately needs, especially after the departure of Natalie
Williams, who averaged double figures in rebounding. Hughes is
averaging 12 rebounds per game as well as 17 points per outing.
"She is our go-to person right now," Olivier said. "We need to
get her even more shots down low, and you can just tell that she
wants the basketball."
The Torero offense is led by a couple of key players. Sophomore
forward Lorraine Watson is leading the team in scoring with 14.5
points per game and also in rebounding with 8.3 per game. The
teams’ three-point shooting percentage of 41.4 is largely due to
the shooting of Serena Eiermann. The 5-foot, 7-inch guard has 98
career three-point goals, which ranks eighth-best in West Coast
Conference, and is currently shooting 85 percent from the freethrow
line (22 of 26).
Today’s match at USD is a doubleheader with the Torero men’s
squad, which plays Cal State Dominguez Hills, and will likely draw
a large crowd.
* * *
While most of the UCLA student body will be back home for the
holidays, the women’s basketball team will travel to Alaska to
compete in the Northern Lights Tournament, starting Monday, Dec.
19. The tournament will feature Alaska Anchorage, Army, Clemson,
North Carolina-Greensboro, Providence, William & Mary, Georgia
Tech and UCLA.
The Bruins will first take on Georgia Tech, Wednesday night. The
Yellow Jackets struggled last season, compiling a record of 5-11 in
the Atlantic Coast Conference, but they have all five starters
returning for this season. They are led by sophomore Kisha Ford who
averaged 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds as a freshman.
"We’re going to take one game at a time," Olivier said. "We’d
like to work on the boards and field goal percentage (during the
tournament)."