In its most lopsided loss of the season, the UCLA women’s
basketball team was blown off the court 92-52 on Thursday against
No. 10 Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.
The 40-point defeat was the Bruins’ fourth loss in five
games.
UCLA (9-11, 3-5 Pac-10) started the game slow and never
recovered, spotting the Sun Devils a 10-2 lead 2:29 into the
game.
“We came out very aggressive,” UCLA coach Kathy
Olivier said. “We just got caught in the rush. They pushed
the ball up the floor. They were hitting open shots and
weren’t missing.”
The Bruin defense struggled to contain the fast-paced Sun Devil
offense, which dropped 32 points off turnovers and got 44 points
from the bench.
“We were playing active defense,” Olivier said.
“But they were just on fire and they couldn’t
miss.”
Arizona State (17-2, 7-1 Pac-10) ended the game with five
players in double figures in points and 21 assists for the team,
compared to nine assists for the Bruins.
“They capitalized on our mistakes,” Olivier said.
“We played a little zone and they got a lot of baskets off
fast breaks and at the free throw line.”
UCLA had been working out all week using scout players who
played physically to imitate Arizona State’s playing style.
However, the Bruin offense sputtered in the intimidating venue with
6,118 fans. ASU has only lost one game at home in its past 31
games.
Noelle Quinn shot only 5-for-18 from the floor for 13 points in
one of her more mediocre performances of the year. She had two
assists compared to five turnovers.
“She had good looks,” Olivier said. “She just
didn’t finish. They were keying on her like everyone does.
They forced her to get rid of the ball.”
Thursday’s tip-off was at 10 a.m. PST, which is unusually
early. However, Olivier refused to believe the start time played
any part in the result.
“I’m not one to make excuses and I’m not going
to start now,” she said. “Both teams had to play under
the same circumstances.”
The Bruins will take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson on
Saturday in a game with a magnified importance after
Thursday’s loss.
“Saturday’s game is big because we need to get back
on track,” Olivier said. “We’ve beaten them the
past two of three. We’ve just got to play more aggressive.
Against ASU, we couldn’t do what we wanted to do defensively.
It’s embarrassing because teams are scoring a lot of points
on us.”
Defense will be a big factor Saturday when the Bruins will try
to get back to a more low-scoring, possession-oriented style of
play.
“We’ve got to get after it defensively and disrupt
their perimeter,” Olivier said.
GAME NOTES: Bruin forward Chinyere Ibekwe had
one of the best games of her career on the boards yesterday with 13
rebounds, including six on offense. UCLA out-rebounded ASU 39-37.
… UCLA shot 8-for-29 from the floor in the first half and only
attempted three 3-pointers on the game, missing all of them.