The song remains the same for the women’s basketball team as they prepare for their final two games of Pac-12 in Washington state – rebounding, getting stops on defense and limiting turnovers under pressure.
“Defend and rebound: that’s been one of our main (points of) emphasis throughout the whole season,” said freshman guard Jordin Canada. “I think if we focus on that and talk we’ll be in a good position for the Pac-12 tournament and this weekend.”
UCLA (11-16, 7-9 Pac-12) faces Washington State (15-12, 6-10) Thursday night at Beasley Coliseum then travels to Hec Edmundson Pavilion to face Washington (20-8, 9-7) Saturday afternoon.
Freshman guard Kelli Hayes echoed Canada on the importance of rebounding and went a step further, stressing offensive rebounding specifically and stringing together better possessions.
“Offensive boarding makes a big difference and gets us more possessions and taking care of the ball gives us better positions,” Hayes said.
Hayes, who stepped up after fellow freshman guard Recee’ Caldwell went down with a knee injury, said she feels she’s had to mature more quickly in Caldwell’s absence and has found personal areas of growth that keep her motivated.
“That was my time to step up and I think I’ve done a fair job of playing into that role,” Hayes said. “What I can focus on is rebounding and that’s what is going to keep me in the game.”
Coach Cori Close said that the team’s focus is twofold: developing a game plan for Washington and Washington State and improving areas that they struggled in during the previous weekend’s games against Arizona State and Arizona.
Close said that handling pressure was an area of weakness against Arizona State and ran the team through drills Tuesday morning to improve ball control and maximize possessions. The Bruins lost a seven point halftime lead, committing 12 turnovers in the second half compared to five in the first.
She also prepped the team for Washington State’s match-up zone and how to get the shots it wants instead of letting the Cougars dictate the Bruins offensive flow. Defensively, UCLA practiced keeping players from driving down and passing to the middle – another strength of Washington State.
Washington boasts a dominant 9-2 home record, but Close said what it has done against other teams at home does not factor into the Bruins approach.
“I didn’t have anything to do with their home record in the past so I don’t have any control over that,” Close said.
What she said is under her and her players’ control is mental focus and consistent execution from tip-off to the final buzzer.
“Which team can mentally focus on staying better and being a woman of (her) word in terms of (her) commitment and being mentally tough – those are the teams that win,” Close said.
The Bruins’ performance this weekend will determine their seeding for the Pac-12 tournament the following weekend, which is also in Seattle. While the team continues to emphasize growth in spite of results, the pressure to produce wins only heightens as the Pac-12 tournament approaches.