Junior center Monique Alexander tallied 12 points and seven rebounds as the UCLA women’s basketball team opened their season with a 78-62 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Sunday afternoon. It was a tale of two halves for the Bruins, who struggled for much of the first half before cruising to an easy win in the second.
“Overall, I think we did OK,” Alexander said. “We had our ups and downs.”
The win was the first regular season victory in the head coaching career of UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell.
“We did start out pretty slow, and give credit to Fullerton,” Caldwell said. “In the second half, we got back to what this team is going to be known for, and that’s defense and hitting the boards.”
For the fans at Pauley Pavilion, many of whom were there to cheer on the opposing Titans, it was clear that there were some opening-game jitters to work out. Each team turned the ball over several times and struggled to execute offensively. With the offense failing to execute, the Bruins turned to the bedrock of the new Caldwell philosophy: defense and rebounding.
“Our defense has a tendency to generate more opportunities for us, which takes a little more stress out of it offensively,” Caldwell said.
Alexander, who is expected to provide a presence in UCLA’s relatively thin front court, stepped up in key situations for the home team, netting three key buckets in the second half. She muscled in two put-back buckets to open the second half to put the Bruins up five, and another after Fullerton had cut the lead to six.
“I think those baskets were very important,” Alexander said. “I tried to go out and dominate because they were a smaller team. Today I really sat down and found a spot where I was focused.”
In a time of need, it was a senior leader who ratcheted up the defensive pressure. Senior guard Tierra Henderson, who is known for her defensive prowess, helped the Bruins shut down the Titan shooters as the game wore on.
“We want to have everybody contributing because we’re still new with the offensive plays,” Henderson said. “It was great for now.”
As a team, Fullerton shot more than 54 percent in the opening half but just 32.4 percent in the second. Several Bruins interrupted passing lanes, dove to the floor for loose balls, and hustled to the glass for rebounds. UCLA held a noticeable size advantage, outrebounding the Titans by 33. The Bruins had more offensive rebounds (25) than Fullerton had total rebounds for the game (21). UCLA’s center/forward Chinyere Ibekwe led the way with 14 boards.
“I challenged us to make sure that we played Bruin basketball and that we did the little things,” Caldwell said.
Offensively, UCLA rebounded from a poor first half in which they shot just 34.4 percent from the field. The Bruins launched a balanced attack that saw every player in uniform score points. Allison Taka, a seldom-used guard a year ago, knocked down a 3-pointer in the second half and helped run the point when starter Doreena Campbell picked up two fouls less than five minutes into the game.
“It gave me chills,” Alexander said. “I sat next to Taka on the bench last year, and seeing her finally get her chance after almost two years, that’s amazing.”
Up next for the Bruins is a home date with Pepperdine on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
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