The Bruins only have six more games, six more chances to turn their 6-6 conference record into a winning one before the Pac-12 tournament.
First stop: Haas Pavilion, home of the Bears.
The last time UCLA played Cal on Jan. 25, the Bears were able to score 35 points off of Bruin turnovers. UCLA’s early lead was demolished by a 15-0 second period run by Cal, who controlled the game both defensively and offensively in the second half.
Coach Cori Close said that defense, rebounding and passion plays are the three aspects of the Bruins’ game that will be vital in order to keep the Bears from taking control on Thursday.
“That’s our building block, especially on the road. On the offensive end, there are a lot more variables involved,” Close said. “You’ve got to control the things under your control and we control passion plays, we control the defensive end of the floor and we control rebounding when we put our minds to it.”
Aggressive 40-minute defense was a key factor in UCLA’s recent successes this past weekend against Utah and Colorado.
The Bruins were able to do to the Buffaloes what the Bears had done to them weeks earlier: score more than 30 points off of turnovers.
“I think we did a great job forcing a lot of turnovers against Utah and Colorado,” said freshman guard Jordin Canada. “If we stay focused on defense and communication, we can cause a lot of havoc.”
Cal ranks third in the Pac-12 in scoring, and Close said that the Bears have earned credibility with their outside shooting, forcing the Bruins to extend their defense.
“You’ve got to really be able to guard by yourself,” Close said. “You’ve got to be able to keep people in front of you, and that’s no easy task with (Cal guard Brittany) Boyd.”
Boyd, a recent member of the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list and Cal’s new all-time assist record holder, was a major weapon for Cal in the last matchup with 24 points, eight assists and five steals. UCLA was able to apply enough pressure to force eight Boyd turnovers in the first period, yet the Bruins allowed her to bounce back with a dominating performance in the second period.
Unlike UCLA, who recently resurrected another four-game losing streak, Cal is riding a seven-game winning streak after its victory over No. 12 Arizona State on Sunday. The Bears shot the ball with more accuracy then their ranked opponent from all lines on the court and were able to out-rebound the Sun Devils, 37-36.
While rebounding has been a consistent emphasis for the Bruins heading into games, the team has failed to consistently dominate the boards against opponents. In conference play, UCLA has dropped to 12th in rebounding defense.
“I think we still have not had our best rebounding game,” Close said. “That’s really the area I think we have the most growth potential in terms of our foundational controllable areas.”
Redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver said making stops in transition and avoiding careless turnovers will be the rudimentary aspects of the Bruins’ game plan.
“It is up to the guards to control the game and make good decisions with the ball offensively,” Korver said. “Defensively, we want to be aggressive so that we can get out into our transition offense. If we are able to get out into the open court more than them, there is a great chance we will win the game.”