Play on.
That’s the word from Cal following the death of player
Alisa Lewis, and so, UCLA’s women’s basketball team
will accommodate, but not without taking a step back from the court
and taking in the big picture, if only for a moment.
“It makes you reflect on life and really puts everything
in perspective,” Gennifer Arranaga said. “Our team was
stunned. It makes you respect life that much more.”
UCLA (8-8, 3-4 Pac-10) won’t have much time, as the team
will quickly need to refocus on their matchup with No. 6 Stanford
(14-2, 7-0). Following last week’s sweep at the hands of the
Arizona schools, the Bruins are in danger of dropping below
.500.
“We haven’t been able to get it done on the
road,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “We’ve done well
at home, and so it’s good that we’re home
again.”
A variety of problems have come up ““ and it has all
centered around the team’s interior play. Defensively, UCLA
has gotten pounded on the inside, first by Arizona State center
Kristen Kovesdy’s 24 points and then by Arizona forward
Shawntinice Polk’s 21 points and 13 rebounds. Even the return
of forward Whitney Jones, who is currently third on the team in
rebounding, hasn’t helped.
Things don’t figure to get better against Stanford. The
Cardinal features potential Pac-10 Player of the Year Nicole
Powell, who leads the Pac-10 in scoring and rebounding. UCLA will
look to a variety of people to contain her.
“Nicole has so many different weapons,” Olivier
said. “She’s a do-it-all player, and that’s what
makes her great. We just have to keep fresh people on
her.”
The Bruins will then face the Golden Bears on Sunday. Cal held a
memorial at Haas Pavilion on Thursday. The team also announced
several ways they plan to remember Lewis, including wearing a black
strip which reads, “A. L. 31,” in pink.
“We all decided it would be important for us to do all the
things that Alisa would want us to do,” forward Leigh Gregory
said. “We all thought she would really want us to get out and
start practicing again, and playing and getting back to our normal
routines. It’s going to be hard, but on the other hand,
it’s going to be really inspiring and very motivating to know
we’re playing for something bigger.”
Cal, led by guard Nihan Anaz, will look to snap a three-game
losing streak, but it remains to be seen how effective the Golden
Bears will be after an emotionally taxing week.
As for UCLA, the NCAA tournament is quickly becoming a distant
goal, as the losses are beginning to pile up. The importance of
avoiding another sweep is not lost on the players.
Still, neither is their perspective of life.