Noelle Quinn doesn’t think she is a great player “”mdash;
yet. But she is quickly becoming one.
After the Bruins’ tough loss against Washington on
Thursday night, Quinn climbed into her hotel bed that night
exhausted from the travel and beaten down by her poor play. The
junior standout scored a season-low five points and couldn’t
help her team stop its road woes and climb back into contention for
the Pac-10 title.
So when UCLA took the court against Washington State on
Saturday, Quinn knew from the moment that warm-ups began that she
should take over the game. Because that is what the great ones
do.
On the strong shoulders of Quinn and her fourth double-double of
the year, the UCLA women’s basketball team defeated
Washington State, 73-63. It was a win that gave the Bruins their
second road win of the season and kept their postseason aspirations
afloat for their flight back to the West Coast.
It was a win that the Bruins needed. It was a win in which Quinn
showed her continuing evolution as one of the premier playmakers in
the nation. She finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists,
leading the team in all categories.
“I always want to elevate my game,” Quinn said.
“And bouncing back from such a low point for the team and
myself was a big turning point.
“I want to be a great player, but I am not one quite yet.
But, yeah, playing like that and earning a big road win is what
great players do.”
Quinn’s coach is no longer surprised by anything her guard
does on the floor.
“She is a special player. She can take over a game with
her versatility as a perimeter scorer or taking it to the
basket,” Kathy Olivier said. “But what’s most
important is she doesn’t want all the hype. She will just
look at ways to earn the win.”
UCLA (10-7, 5-3 Pac-10) went into the game knowing that a road
sweep against the Washington programs would not end its season, but
another road loss would mean that a dark cloud would be hovering
directly over the Bruin team as the waning conference games loomed
ahead.
But the Bruins kept all the pretentions of doom at a distance by
beating the Cougars on the board and making the most of their
offensive possessions, which were few and far between. UCLA had 45
rebounds to Washington State’s 38, which has continued a
season-long trend that has come to define the season.
“When we rebound and stay active in the post, we are going
to win,” Olivier said. “Our perimeter play is strong
enough that if we just keep the other team from second or third
chances, we should win the game and we did.”
The Bruins had to adjust to the Cougars’ slow and
methodical style after playing a Huskies team that ran up and down
the floor, stride for stride with them. The change of pace meant
that there were fewer posessions, and UCLA had to make their shots
because of the precious commodity of a good look at the basket. And
they did, outshooting Washington State 48.4-34.3 percent from the
field, while forcing 18 turnovers.
But the tone was set early and often by an assuming shooting
guard who didn’t want to fly back feeling like her team left
a win up in the northwestern pacific.
“Wins on the road aren’t easy, but we needed this
one,” Quinn said.