Not since the tale of the frog prince has there been a more
stunning reversal of fortune than that of the UCLA women’s
basketball team.
Thanks to a stingy defense that has not allowed opponents to
generate any rhythm offensively, the Bruins (9-4, 4-0 Pac-10) have
been able to vanquish the memory of a pair of frustrating 20-loss
seasons. UCLA has already won as many games as it did all of last
year, and currently sits atop the Pac-10 standings heading into
Sunday’s matchup with USC.
“UCLA is a multidimensional team, whereas last year they
didn’t have that,” said Washington head coach June
Daugherty after the Bruins trounced the Huskies 72-46 on Friday
night at Pauley Pavilion.
“If they continue to play defense and score the way they
have been, then they are certainly a contender in the
Pac-10.”
Although the Bruins are averaging nearly 80 points per contest,
it has been their defensive intensity that has been the catalyst
for their early season success. In all nine of its victories UCLA
has limited its opponents to under 45 percent shooting from the
field, and opponents have made just 39 percent of their attempts in
the season.
Prior to Friday’s game, Washington’s team had been
the most prolific scorers in the Pac-10, but the Bruins limited
them to just 46 points, many of which came long after the outcome
had been decided. The Huskies tallied just 12 points in the
game’s first 16 minutes, and they could not solve
UCLA’s aggressive man-to-man defense.
“Their shots weren’t falling and that hurt
them,” UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said. “They are a
team that likes to penetrate and dish to open shooters. I thought
we did a very good job of taking care of the players we were
guarding so we didn’t have to help a lot.”
The Bruins’ rugged defense has been the impetus for their
offensive efficiency. The squad has forced an average of 24
turnovers per game thus far in Pac-10 play, turning many of those
into fast-break opportunities.
In arguably the squad’s most eye-opening victory of the
season, UCLA utilized tenacious full-court pressure in a 93-68
drubbing of Oregon on Dec. 27 in Eugene.
“We’re a little undersized so we had to try to pick
up the tempo,” Olivier said after the game. “Once
Oregon got into its half-court offense, they just went inside so we
couldn’t allow them to get into their sets.”
If the Bruins hope to extend their winning streak to six against
USC (6-8, 1-3 Pac-10), they will have to continue to tighten the
screws defensively. The Trojans have three players averaging in
double digits, and feature a pair of all-conference candidates in
center Ebony Hoffman and guard Aisha Hollans.
Nonetheless, senior Michelle Greco is confident the squad will
continue to rise to the occasion.
“We are a young team, and it took us a little while to get
to know each other,” the former All-Pac-10 guard said.
“I always thought we had the potential to achieve this type
of success.”
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Freshman forward Julia Pitts will miss the remainder of the
season after suffering two torn ligaments in her left knee in a
Dec. 19 loss to Baylor.
The squad’s third leading scorer, Pitts started in the
first eight games of the season, averaging 10.0 points and 5.9
rebounds per contest. She underwent surgery on her knee on Dec. 30,
and expects to be ready to play again next season.
Junior Whitney Jones has replaced Pitts in the starting lineup,
performing admirably in her stead. She is averaging 12.5 points and
6.3 rebounds per game as a starter, and has been a steadying
influence for the young Bruin squad.