Aside from the allure of a fresh start, season openers rarely
carry much weight. Most teams ease their way into a long season
with a cupcake game or two, playing lesser opponents while trying
to work out any kinks in the system. Then there is the UCLA
women’s basketball team, which is jumping feet first into the
fire to kick off the 2005-2006 season. The Bruins travel to Waco,
Texas to take on the sixth-ranked and defending national champion
Baylor Bears. A year that has been pegged as the
“breakthrough” season by players and critics alike, the
Bruins are wasting no time in finding out how they match up against
the elite teams. The game features some offensive fire power, as
three of the nation’s top players will be on the floor today.
Senior point guard Nikki Blue and junior guard Noelle Quinn lead
UCLA against Baylor senior forward Sophia Young. It has been
circled on the calendar for quite some time, but the Bruins are
trying not to put too much stock into just one game, especially
this early in the season. The team is approaching the game with a
relaxed mind-set, knowing that a win would be a big momentum
builder. “I don’t think it’s a make-or-break
game, it’s the first game of the year,” coach Kathy
Olivier said. “You just have to take it one game at a time
and be really smart in how you approach it. “You want to
think you’re going to win, but if you don’t, it’s
not the end of the season. It’s one game, and I think
we’ll learn a lot from this game. If it’s a win or if
it’s a loss, we’ll build on it and make ourselves
better.” There’s no doubt that Baylor is heavily
favored against UCLA. To defend their national title, the Bears
have Young, their top player, returning; as well as an influx of
talented new recruits, and a good start having already beaten No. 8
Georgia 84-72 last Sunday in their season opener. Baylor has the
longest win streak in the nation with 21 victories. The
Bears’ last loss was on Jan. 22, 2005, in Austin, Texas when
they lost 69-55 to the Texas Longhorns. Meanwhile, the Bruins have
played inconsistently in two exhibition wins over Love and
Basketball and Play Mode. While they enter the season in good
health and with a renewed swagger, the Bruins have had trouble
running their half-court press against inferior opponents. The
level of competition takes a serious upswing right away. “I
don’t know if we’re ready because we haven’t had
tough competition yet,” Olivier said. And UCLA will certainly
have their hands full with the presence of Young. She is a
preseason All-American choice, as well as a national
player-of-the-year candidate coming off a year in which she
averaged 18.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The Bruins’
most daunting task in their season opener is finding a way to
defend Young. It might be more of a matter of just containing
Young, preventing her from beating them single-handedly, than just
flat-out trying to stop the power forward. In order to score the
upset, the Bruins must score some easy points in transition as well
as force turnovers with their half-court pressure.
“She’s the type of player that is going to get a lot of
shots,” Olivier said. “She’ll find a way to get
hers. We might look to trap her, but she’s so quick and so
explosive that she’ll be out of the trap before you’re
trapping her.” Blue and Quinn made it clear that they are not
looking to merely keep the game close and pull out a moral victory.
UCLA is approaching the game with some perspective, though. The
Bruins are a team trying to gain some exposure as they push for a
championship-caliber season. Win or lose, this weekend’s game
figures to give them that kind of national attention. “I
think we have a team that will be ready for that challenge,”
Olivier said. “The beauty of it is that we’re a veteran
team. I think any time you play one of the top teams in the country
to open your season, it’s a great chance to see where you are
and what you need to improve on.”
DRIBBLERS: Today, UCLA and Baylor will meet for the sixth time
in history … Baylor will unveil its 2005 NCAA Championship banner
during pregame ceremonies of the game. In addition, its Big 12
Conference regular-season and Tournament Championship banners will
be unveiled … The game between the Bruins and the Bears will be
broadcast live on Fox Sports Net, with coverage beginning at 5 p.m.
With reports from Ben Azar, Bruin Sports senior staff.