Heading into the house of the No. 5 Tennessee Lady Volunteers
last night, the women’s basketball team had hopes of being
competitive with one of the top teams in the country.
UCLA came out with an 83-60 learning experience.
The Bruins (1-1) were handed their first loss of the season in
the loud and intimidating atmosphere of the Thompson-Boling Arena
in Knoxville after the Vols’ offense exploded in the second
half.
UCLA got down early in front of more than 8,000 fans as
Tennessee started the game on a 13-4 run, sparked by five Bruin
turnovers in the first four minutes.
“I thought our effort was there,” head coach Kathy
Olivier said. “It’s an awesome environment and
Tennessee feeds off of that environment. … But we turned the ball
over too much.”
The Bruins did mount a comeback in the last minutes of the first
half, relying on senior leader Noelle Quinn to get them back in the
game. Quinn and junior forward Lindsey Pluimer combined for 37
points, providing most of the offensive firepower on a night when
no other Bruin had more than seven.
“Both Noelle and Pluimer did a great job,” Olivier
said. “They wanted the ball.
“We competed for 32, 33 minutes, but against a top team
you have to compete for 40. Hopefully we learned and will get
better.”
With UCLA down 38-21 with five minutes remaining, Quinn took
control. After a Bruin free throw, she hit a jumper, stole the ball
from the Vols’ Dominique Redding and sank a trey to bring the
Bruins within 11.
UCLA pulled to a 42-32 halftime deficit after senior forward
Amanda Livingston hit two free throws with one minute left.
Even with a little momentum, the beginning of the second half
was a nightmare for the Bruins.
The Vols started off the second period on a 10-0 run,
capitalizing on four Bruin turnovers during that stretch. The
Bruins had 26 turnovers on the night.
One of the positives for the Bruins was their ability to
communicate on the court, even in one of the hardest places to play
in women’s college basketball.
“That’s where I was pleased with this team,”
Olivier said. “We were on the same page. We communicated. We
were all as one. We did a very good job of speaking up.”
Olivier noted the Bruin defense as the one aspect that needs to
be improved if the team expects to compete with such quality
opponents, even as its lineup continues to shuffle.
“We played a lot of people,” Olivier said.
“We’re still looking for that right combination. We
need to do things better defensively and the offense will
come.”
The Vols’ star, sophomore Candace Parker, led all scorers
with 22 points in 26 minutes, shooting 10-15 from the floor and
contributing six rebounds.