UCLA women’s basketball won’t allow a five-game losing streak this season.
The Bruins (10-13, 6-6 Pac-12) started the season with four straight losses, a deed that was repeated once again when the Bruins dropped four consecutive games to Stanford, Cal, Oregon and Oregon State.
With UCLA’s 72-65 win over Colorado (10-13, 3-9) on Friday, the Bruins ended the infamous four-game losing steak yet again. Tack on their most recent 58-45 victory over Utah (7-16, 1-11) on Sunday, and the Bruins have transformed another losing streak into a winning one.
“I honestly think we need to have the adversity and learn to overcome it more so then we need to learn how to protect a lead,” said coach Cori Close following the Colorado game. “I think our need was to mature through tough circumstances when the pressure is on.”
Against Colorado, the Bruins’ aggressive energy led to a quick 11-0 lead while the Buffaloes suffered a five-and-a-half-minute scoring drought after tip-off.
In the first half, the Buffaloes turned the ball over 18 times. By the end of the game, UCLA had forced 28 Colorado turnovers, leading to 33 points – a sharp contrast to UCLA’s loss against Cal, where the Golden Bears were able to convert UCLA turnovers into 35 points.
Junior guard Nirra Fields, who scored 24 points on Friday and 16 on Sunday, said that turnovers were an significant part of the game plan this weekend.
“We had that goal in mind, and we knew if we pressured them the entire game, it would be hard for them to set up their offense,” Fields said after the Colorado win.
When the Bruins traveled to Colorado, forward Jen Reese scored 30 points for the Buffaloes. UCLA’s dominance on defense held Reese to only four points on Friday – her first field goal was scored with 46 seconds left in the game.
Close said that switching things up on the defensive end by playing both “55” and “22” strategies – player-to-player and zone full-court defenses respectively – would keep the Buffaloes from establishing a consistent tempo.
Despite a Buffalo 9-0 run that eventually led to a tied game, the Bruins were able to keep the upper hand in the final minutes by draining vital free throws.
While freshman guard Jordin Canada was only two-for-12 from the field on Friday, Close said that Canada’s contributions were broad: 12 points, eight-for-10 from the line, five assists and only two turnovers. Canada tallied 16 points on Sunday.
“Jordin is starting to call her own plays and not looking over at us as much,” Close said. “You have to have a lot of experience as a freshman point guard with the ball in your hands as much as she does. She made those huge plays down the stretch, and she maintained her composure.”
Composure on offense and maintaining pressure on defense was key in the expansion of the Bruins’ lead in the win against Utah on Sunday.
“We did a much better job getting out on their shooters. We adjusted,” Close said. “Our press was huge, it disrupted their rhythm as well as put them in a position where they got less time to play offense in the half court.”
Utah only shot 18.2 percent from the field in the first period and headed into the locker room with 19 points, largely because of UCLA’s defensive effort.
While many past games have been characterized by individual standout performances, the Bruins relied on an assortment of pieces on the bench that were necessary to securing wins on both Friday and Sunday.
Freshman forward Monique Billings came off the bench to score 14 points against Colorado, and freshman guard Kelli Hayes added five rebounds and three steals. On Sunday, senior forward/center Corinne Costa and freshman forward Lajahna Drummer were crucial off the glass.
“Coach always talks about working together, teamwork and making sure that we’re all on the same page. That’s what we try to emphasize in every game,” Canada said. “Players may have an off night, but I think that this team is really getting into the concept of working together.”
The Bruins travel north this week to face Cal on Thursday and Stanford on Sunday.