For the first time this season, the UCLA women’s
basketball team has dropped out of the AP poll. With a 3-4 record,
the Bruins have a lot of work to do before the Pac-10 season starts
in the middle of December.
The team is currently trying to find the right combination for
games, both in the starting lineup and off the bench.
Coach Kathy Olivier said that she expects the Bruins to improve
every game and every practice once they find the right mix of
players, which so far has been elusive.
After UCLA’s seven nonconference games so far, the Bruins
have work left to do, both on their defensive skills and on
controlling the ball on offense. Olivier noted that last
year’s team relied on offensive ability, while this year UCLA
is going to have to improve its defensive skills. UCLA averages
22.7 turnovers per game compared to its opponents’ 19.1
turnovers.
“We want to make sure that we play tough, aggressive
defense,” said Olivier. “Our transition defense needs
to get better and our on-the-ball defense needs to get better. We
need to do a better job of containing the ball and not letting so
many easy baskets.”
This week the Bruins have been working on combining the
offensive talents of some teammates with the defensive talents of
others.
“We need to put these people together and make one,”
Olivier said.
Sophomore guard Tierra Henderson is one of the defensive
specialists that has helped bridge this gap, averaging 3.4 steals
and 3.9 points per game.
Despite losing their spot in the basketball rankings, the Bruins
continue to view their season in a positive way.
“We just have to keep our spirits up and keep
competing,” said Olivier. “It’s always nice to be
recognized and to be in the Top 25. It’s still early and
hopefully the rankings will make it just that better come
March.”
QUINN FINDS OTHER WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE: On paper,
senior guard Noelle Quinn had a less than stellar performance in
the Rainbow Wahine Classic last week. With an off-night against
Gonzaga, Quinn averaged 9.6 points throughout the tournament and
shot below her season average 14.7 points. While she had several
big shooting games against Oklahoma and Tennessee, her season
average is below the 18.1 points she averaged throughout the
2005-2006 season.
According to Olivier, Quinn’s statistics do not show the
whole picture, as Quinn has contributed to the team by getting her
teammates involved. Quinn currently leads the team with 46
assists.
“Without Noelle we wouldn’t be able to score all of
those points,” Olivier said.