Practice had not been over for 10 minutes, and UCLA
women’s basketball coach Kathy Olivier was back in her office
breaking down film. Olivier was studying the play of Stanford
guards Candice Wiggins and Brooke Smith, still trying to formulate
a way to contain the tandem when the Bruins (10-8, 5-4 Pac-10) host
the No. 13 Cardinal (13-4, 8-1) tonight at Pauley Pavilion. The
Stanford tandem of Wiggins and Smith is the motor that has led the
defending Pac-10 champions, and its imposing talent has left the
UCLA coaching staff scrambling for a defensive scheme up until the
night before the game. “We have to contain Candice and Brooke
as much as possible. But it’s not about stopping them
completely. Those two will hit some shots and make their
plays,” Olivier said. “The key is not letting them run
wild and forcing them to make difficult shots.” Junior guard
Noelle Quinn will be given the job of holding Wiggins in check. She
will have her hands full. Wiggins, a preseason All-American, leads
the conference in scoring at 21.2 points per game. And this game
will not be short of offensive firepower, as it features four of
the conference’s top five scorers in Wiggins, Smith (17.6),
Quinn (16.4) and UCLA senior guard Lisa Willis (17.9). “Both
of our teams like to run the floor and put up a lot of
points,” Quinn said. “But it’s going to come down
to who can make the defensive stand when it counts, or grab the
rebound, or not turn the ball over. “When everybody can
score, you have to find another way to win. It’ll be
tough.” The Bruins are not daunted by the challenge the
Cardinal pose. They know they can’t be. They are searching
for a little bit of retribution. They want to bounce back from last
Saturday’s loss to crosstown rival USC, which has stewed in
the team’s stomach for the past six days after they came all
the way back from a 16-point second-half deficit only to let the
game slip away in the final moments. The Bruins are also looking to
avenge a 91-68 thumping they endured up in Palo Alto on New
Year’s Day. But more than anything else, UCLA is looking to
knock off the conference’s first-place team, throw the
standings into a free-for-all, and add a key win to its season
ensemble that will look that much more attractive to the NCAA
Tournament committee when selection time rolls around.
“It’s a perfect opportunity to really be put back in
the picture,” senior point guard Nikki Blue said. “We
have to go all out and come out with a “˜W.’ It’s
not that complicated ““ we just need to get it done.”
For UCLA, a win against Stanford would be more than just casual
window dressing. It would be a second-half makeover.
DRIBBLERS: Redshirt junior forward Julia Pitts, who saw playing
time for the first time in almost two years after recovering from
knee surgeries, has been held out of practice this week as a
precautionary measure and will be a game-time decision against
Stanford. Pitts spent the last two weeks in half-speed drills
before playing zero minutes at USC last Saturday. Her stamina and
strength remain a concern, and she will be safeguarded against
further injuries for the rest of the season, with limited contact
in practice. … Junior center Consuelo Lezcano has traveled back
home to Florida to be with her family after her father passed away
this week at 75. Lezcano will miss both games this weekend, and it
is uncertain when she will rejoin the team. … The Den will be
providing 200 free Baja Fresh burritos for students who attend the
game tonight, one of the group’s Go-Den games, which are
aimed at boosting stagnant attendances with free prizes or
giveaways.