After winning a pair of late December conference games in
Oregon, the UCLA women’s basketball team continued its sweep
of the Pac-10 this weekend with wins over Washington, 72-46, and
Washington State, 93-51.
UCLA (9-4, 4-0 Pac-10) currently leads the conference.
Friday’s game against Washington (9-2, 2-1) left the
Huskies smarting after their loss to the Bruins ended an eight-game
winning streak.
Washington’s game clearly missed sophomore guard Kayla
Burt and senior forward Kellie Dalan, both out due to injuries.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that Burt was
hospitalized due to a heart problem after collapsing on Dec. 31,
and although Washington head coach June Daugherty would not comment
on Burt’s condition, she said, “I’ve never been
more proud of a team to come out and play than in this
context.”
The Huskies did play both of their All-American candidates,
senior guard Loree Payne and junior guard Giuliana Mendiola, who
average 16 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Payne shot a
dismal three for 12 on Friday night, and Mendiola did not fare much
better, going six for 15.
Overall, UCLA limited the Huskies’ scoring to only 23.9
percent shooting and 20 percent from three-point range, half
Washington’s season average.
The Bruin defense was varied and forced Washington to shoot from
the perimeter, allowing only eight Husky points in the paint.
Junior forward Jamila Veasley made her presence felt on both sides
of the court, pulling down 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Nikki Blue
grabbed seven rebounds on defense.
“We did not respond the way we needed to today,”
Daugherty said. “UCLA’s depth is a lot better this
season and definitely creates a lot more problems. They’re
multi-dimensional.”
The Bruins pushed ahead after halftime, building their 10-point
lead to 15, then 22, and ended the game up by 26 points. Freshman
Lisa Willis led the Bruins in scoring with 17 points.
“(Willis) is amazing,” said UCLA head coach Kathy
Olivier. “She makes so many great things happen on the
floor.”
Sunday’s game against Washington State (0-11, 0-3) was a
similar combination of offensive aggressiveness and effective
defensive play that kept the Cougars in check. With only one
double-digit scorer, Washington State could not overcome guard
Michelle Greco, who shot 10 for 13 on the floor and had a total of
23 points.
“Today was a very good day,” Greco said. “I
wasn’t missing shots that I was earlier in the season. I feel
like I’m back.”
Lisa Willis again tallied double-digits with 15 points against
the Huskies, as did forward Whitney Jones who added 11.
Converting turnovers was key for UCLA in both contests; on
Sunday, 46 of the Bruins’ points came off of turnovers.
UCLA led by as much as 46 points on Sunday, at 90-44 in the
second half. At times, the Bruins’ clean passing left the
Cougars wondering where the basketball was.
“Today we played as a team really well,” Olivier
said. “We did a great job on our execution. But we
can’t get comfortable. We can always work harder.”
Bianca McCall was the only Washington State player in double
figures, leading her team with 15 points and nine rebounds in 29
minutes.
The Bruins will spend this week preparing for Sunday’s
game against USC (6-8, 1-3 Pac-10) and try to match Stanford as the
only other undefeated team in the Pac-10.