It’s that time of year again.
The month of January means the start of conference play, and with that, a pair of high-caliber matchups with intercity rival USC on the slate.
The first of these contests is scheduled to take place Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion, where the Bruins will look to pull off a second straight win against the Trojans, a team that they struggled with for much of last season. A win would also help the Bruins bounce back from a disappointing performance against an inexperienced Oregon team. It was the Bruins’ first home loss of the season.
Coach Nikki Caldwell, who will be getting her first dose of Los Angeles’ premier collegiate rivalry, believes that this game is crucial to the future success of her team, which is looking to make it back to the NCAA tournament after missing out last season.
“I’m excited,” Caldwell said. “I think anytime you have a rivalry game, you want to come out and play your very best basketball.”
UCLA won only one of three contests against USC a year ago, but it was perhaps the most crucial of the three. The Bruins routed the Trojans, 73-52, at the Pac-10 Tournament in San Jose last March in what turned out to be the final victory for UCLA’s previous coach Kathy Olivier. In that game, then-freshman point guard Darxia Morris returned from a knee injury to lead the Bruins with 19 points. Morris and sophomore guard Doreena Campbell, who also runs the point on offense, will need to step up their play to counter Trojan redshirt senior guard Camille LeNoir, who deftly guided USC past their rivals in two games last season.
“The key is everyone playing together, and trusting on help defense,” Morris said. “We need a lot of energy, (we need to) deny and bring a lot of ball pressure.”
This weekend’s game will be a rematch of last year’s sloppy contest at Pauley Pavilion that saw both teams struggle offensively. The low-scoring affair favored the Trojans, who used their defense to shut down the Bruins in every facet of their offensive game for a 49-36 victory. The win came on the heels of a hotly contested game at the Galen Center, a 64-56 USC triumph, that saw a scuffle break out in the closing seconds of the game. Those memories have stirred up the competitive fire in a Bruin team hoping to make a statement following a tough loss to the Ducks.
“We’ll be ready,” junior guard Erica Tukiainen said. “It’s payback time. It’s a new time, a new era for UCLA women’s basketball, and this is another step forward.”
The Bruins will look to shut down USC’s perimeter shooters, who were often successful against UCLA a season ago by spreading the floor with the threat of the three-ball. Redshirt senior Brynn Cameron, who was recently named Pac-10 Player of the Week, is one of the Trojans’ top offensive threats. It will be up to Campbell, Morris, and junior guard Allison Taka to take on the burden of being defensive stoppers in the absence of senior guard Tierra Henderson, who is out for an unspecified violation of team rules.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to limit their touches,” Campbell said of USC’s guards. “We know that if we do that, they won’t be as effective. If they do get the ball, we need to deny them good looks and play good help defense.”
For Morris, nothing would be sweeter than defeating USC after sitting out most of last year’s home loss with the knee injury.
“You never want to lose to anybody, especially USC,” Morris said. “Everyone is going to be out there bringing their A-game. When it’s a rivalry game, and when it’s a TV game, you don’t want to be out there and embarrass yourself.”
Revenge Factor
Many players from last year’s squad are looking to exact revenge for two frustrating regular-season losses against the Trojans. Guard Doreena Campbell remembers the scuffle at the Galen Center well and knows that a win against USC would be crucial for the team and the school.
“I know that I’m out there representing the whole school,” Campbell said. “Everyone here wants to beat USC. We’re going to go out there in a battle.”
Caldwell would like nothing better than to get a win in her first game against ‘SC. “It will be really good for our conference standing,” Caldwell said. “‘SC is a team that has some great wins, and it will be a gauge for us to see where we’re at.”
The Trojans, meanwhile, will be looking to erase the memories of a UCLA rout in the Pac-10 Tournament a year ago, which eliminated USC from postseason consideration. Morris thinks that USC will come in using that as motivation.
“They weren’t happy about losing in the tournament,” Morris said. “I definitely think that they’ll come in here looking to win. They aren’t going to take it easy just because they beat us here last year. We’ll be ready.”
Tuition At Stake
As part of UCLA’s “Free Ticket, Full Ride” promotion, one Bruin will walk out of Pauley Pavilion on Sunday with a $21,000 scholarship. Students who have attended the first 10 women’s basketball games of the season could have accumulated points for attending by getting special student tickets at the Central Ticket Office.
Anyone at Sunday’s game can obtain a special student ticket in the same manner and will be entered into the drawing. Students will receive double points for attending the USC game.
One student will have their name drawn at halftime and will receive the $21,000 scholarship, though they must be in attendance to win. The promotion is sponsored by a basketball booster, and it is part of coach Caldwell’s attempt to promote women’s basketball on campus.