Coming off a mediocre weekend performance in Iowa, the UCLA women’s basketball team was looking to make a strong impression in the home opener Thursday night.
Unfortunately for the University of Hawai’i, the Bruins were successful.
Heeding the calls of the coaching staff to play tough, hard-nosed defense, UCLA turned in a tremendous effort in prevailing 98-52 at Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins flew up and down the court all night, creating a multitude of steals and Hawai’i turnovers that resulted in easy buckets on offense. Especially key was the tenacious play of UCLA’s guards. By applying increased pressure at the point of attack in addition to a full court press, they were able to knock Hawaii’s offense out of sync from the opening tip.
“I thought our team made a commitment to defend hard,” coach Nikki Caldwell said. “I challenged them to be known for something. We shot the ball really well, but that’s not always going to happen. The two things that you can always count on is defense and rebounding, and we did those really well.”
Offensively, UCLA was lethal from long range, knocking down a school record-tying 12 3-pointers. Senior guard Erica Tukiainen contributed a flurry of first-half threes, including four in a row, to push her team to an insurmountable lead. It was the kind of performance the veteran shooting guard has been looking for. Tukiainen would finish the night with 24 points, including six 3-point baskets.
“This is definitely a highlight for me,” Tukiainen said. “But now I need to expand my game. Play better defense, rebound better.”
The veteran presence was enhanced by a youthful spark. With UCLA holding a size advantage over a smaller Hawai’i frontline, the Bruins looked to find easy opportunities in the paint. Freshman forward Markel Walker showed her great promise as a star recruit, pitching in 12 points and producing solid, mistake-free play throughout the game. She especially made her presence felt on the boards, where she grabbed 12 rebounds. Walker’s play, which resulted in a double-double, was one of the highlights of the night for Caldwell.
“The game comes so easily to her, so we give her a lot of free reign,” Caldwell said. “And she’s earned it. She does a great job of being consistent for us. We know we can count on her every night, and she’ll continue to get better and better.”
After the offensive struggles of the past weekend, the Bruins looked much more dangerous in the comforts of their own gym. As their confidence grew, the offense found a productive rhythm, as players made clean cuts and fed teammates for open looks. The second half proved to be more of the same for the Bruins, who continued to pour in the points. This time it was largely thanks to the efforts of hot-shooting junior guard Darxia Morris, who finished the night with 18 points, 16 of them coming after the break.
“We know that when one of us gets hot, we got to keep giving them the basketball,” Morris said. “We did a lot right. We communicated. Everyone played together on defense. We know that our offense starts with our defense, so we did a good job tonight.”
As always, however, the primary focus was on the outstanding defensive effort. UCLA finished the game with an astounding 16 steals and out-rebounded Hawai’i by 17. The offense, however, was significantly improved.
“Once the ball is rebounded, we can go,” Caldwell said. “This team is really committed to running the basketball, but our team was solid defensively. I think the most important part of it tonight was that they had fun, and the team embodied what this program and this athletic department stands for. We did this through hard work.”
The Bruins got a scare late in the game when senior center Moniquee Alexander went down hard, but she walked off under her own power.
There was a nice moment in the closing seconds when walk-on freshman Jackie Shepard, scored a late bucket, her first as a Bruin. That moment may have drawn the loudest cheer of the night from an elated Bruin bench.
“It was great to see her score,” Morris said. “She works so hard in practice, so we’re happy for her.”
UCLA’s next game is Saturday in San Diego against Utah.