Senior guard Thea Lemberger raced down the sideline.
Back and forth she went, wincing with every other stride, struggling with every other sprint down the court.
She was just one of the many UCLA women’s basketball players running up and down the court as part of the various conditioning drills to finish Thursday’s practice.
Despite having a depleted roster and being in need of well-conditioned players, the Bruins weren’t only running to increase their endurance. They were also running as punishment.
Coach Cori Close wasn’t happy with her team’s turnover-prone ways in its scrimmage during practice, and she let her team know it.
This Sunday, keeping possession of the ball will be key for UCLA (1-1) facing No. 12 North Carolina (1-1) at home.
“They feed off turnovers, so it’s going to be really, really important for us to take care of the basketball. We want to run the clock down. We won’t win a track meet with North Carolina,” Close said.
But taking it slow against the Tarheels will be no easy task for the Bruins. As Close said, North Carolina’s athletic team is always looking to pressure the ball, run through passing lanes and create havoc.
If the Tarheels have it their way, the game looks to be in the 100-possession range. Should the Bruins execute their game plan, the game will likely wind up being closer to the 70-possession range.
Execution, though, is key.
It’s something sophomore guard Nirra Fields said the team didn’t do in its last matchup against a top-15 team.
“Last time we played Nebraska, we didn’t execute the scouting report, we didn’t execute our fundamentals … so it’s just (about) executing,” Fields said.
Either way, Sunday’s game is an opportunity for UCLA to secure a statement win. Junior center Luiana Livulo understands what her team needs to do in order to do just that.
“We need to be more focused and disciplined. I think that’s what we didn’t do against Nebraska, that’s why it didn’t go our way,” Livulo said.
In the team’s regular post-practice circle, Close addressed her team, asking them one single question: “You have the University of North Carolina coming in here to your house. What does that mean to you?”