Coming off an 89-58 defeat at the hands of No. 2 Texas, UCLA
women’s basketball coach Kathy Olivier was anxious to see how
her young team would respond to its first tough loss.
Judging by the Bruins’ performance against Illinois on
Sunday, this team is capable of bouncing back quickly after
defeat.
UCLA (2-1) came out hungry and aggressive against an undermanned
Illinois (1-3), burying the Fighting Illini with smothering defense
and great shot selection en route to a 68-56 victory at Pauley
Pavilion.
“We could not play (Illinois) fast enough,” said
Olivier, who earned her 150th career victory. “The last
couple of days in practice, my rope was half-an-inch long. I just
didn’t have a lot of patience.
“This team has a lot of ability, but we weren’t
really doing what we thought we could do.”
The Bruins jumped on the Fighting Illini early, establishing a
double-digit lead in the first half that they would never
relinquish. UCLA shot 52 percent from the field in the first half,
while its defense limited Illinois to 30 percent shooting in the
same time frame.
Sophomore Nikki Blue once again led the Bruin attack, finishing
with a team-high 16 points and five assists, with most coming in
transition. Blue pushed the ball up the floor every opportunity she
had, appeasing Olivier’s desire to see her team become more
quick-hitting in its offense.
“They were quick, but I think we were quicker,” said
Blue, who also led the Bruins with four steals. “Our game is
a running game, and the only way we’re going to win is when
we play our game and not get sucked into (our opponents’
games).”
“Nikki is unbelievable at pushing the ball up, and
everyone followed her lead,” Olivier said. “Nikki and
Noelle (Quinn) like to get into that open-floor set and find the
open players, and they did a very good job of that in the first
half.”
While UCLA’s offense was clicking, Illinois’ offense
was significantly hampered by the loss of junior forward Angelina
Williams, who was benched for the game for disciplinary reasons.
Williams’ absence allowed the Bruins to hone in on the
Fighting Illini’s other two scoring threats, forcing Aminata
Yanni and Tiffany Guthrie to go a combined 14 for 43 from the
field.
Contrary to UCLA’s first two games, the bench played a
pivotal role, providing an offensive spark when the Bruin attack
stalled.
Sophomore Emma Tautolo couldn’t have chosen a better time
to come up with one of her better efforts in a Bruin uniform.
“I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever
played, but I really felt comfortable out there,” said
Tautolo, who finished with 10 points in 15 minutes. “I was
anxious to get in there and do something, especially after the loss
to Texas.”
Senior guard Gennifer Arranaga also provided a lift off the
bench, hitting two key three-pointers to put the game out of
reach.
Without the services of senior Jamila Veasley, who sprained her
left shoulder in the team’s loss to Texas, Olivier realized
Sunday’s game would be a good opportunity for her squad to
display its maturity and step up behind its fallen leader.
“When (Veasley) went out against Texas, the post players
were out of sync, and the wheels came loose,” Olivier said.
“(The post players) didn’t allow that to happen today,
and that was a huge plus for us.”