WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Today, 10 a.m. vs. ASU
Tempe, Ariz.
The No. 10 Arizona State women’s basketball team is fast,
aggressive and almost unstoppable getting the ball up and down the
court. As UCLA (9-10, 3-4 Pac-10) prepares to tip off against the
Sun Devils (16-2, 6-1) at 10 a.m. today in Tempe, Ariz., the Bruins
will face one of the hottest teams in the Pac-10.
As the second-place team in the conference, Arizona State has
continued to have a great season halfway through Pac-10 play.
Sweeping the Oregon schools last week, the Sun Devils have won
their past four games and are currently riding a 19 home-game
winning streak for Pac-10 games at the Wells Fargo Arena.
However, UCLA has beaten ASU in two of the past three matchups
between the teams. Last season, the Bruins defeated the Sun Devils
at Pauley Pavilion and in the Pac-10 Tournament en route to winning
the tournament. With a season full of ups and downs, UCLA will have
its hands full against the Sun Devils today.
“I know that we’re not real high on their hit
list,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “But I’m sure
that they’re going to bring their A game.”
According to Olivier, ASU is an extremely aggressive team that
likes to play fast. The Sun Devils do a good job running the ball
up and down the court.
“I have been thinking about not studying the press, but we
will use it,” said Olivier. “I don’t know when in
the game, but (ASU) will go up and down regardless if (a team is)
pressing or not.”
The Sun Devils are led by senior forward Emily Westerberg, a
three-year starter. Westerberg is ASU’s scoring leader,
averaging 15.6 points per game. Senior guard Jill Noe leads the Sun
Devils in rebounds, while freshman guard Dymond Simon was last
week’s Pac-10 Women’s Basketball Player of the
Week.
In order to prepare for the ASU game, the Bruins have been
working hard on their defensive skills. If the team thinks about
defense and plays together, Olivier expects their skills to
translate into success on the court. During practice this week,
UCLA has also worked on a couple new sets.
“We put in a couple of new looks to get open and make it
easier on the guards,” said senior forward Amanda
Livingston.
UCLA has taken advantage of their scout players in practice as
well.
“Our scout guys did a really good job this week of
simulating them,” said Livingston. “Yesterday they were
scrappy and all up on the ball and on the point guard and making it
really hard to get in entry passes.”
According to Livingston, ASU is “a different type of
team” that plays with a different mentality.
The Sun Devils are a scrappy team, but they often play with so
much aggression that the Bruins have been known to retaliate
against them in the past.
“Our main focus is to stay poised. Some might say that
they foul all the time and get away with things, which is
true,” said Livingston. “We need to make sure that we
match their aggressiveness and intensity.”