Winning on the road has as much to do with tenacity and
aggressive play as anything else, including talent.
The UCLA women’s basketball team again proved this by
dropping its sixth road loss in seven games to the Washington
Huskies, 96-75. It was a loss that punctured the growing momentum
UCLA had built the past homestand and has left the players
questioning their own grit in the face of adversity.
“We didn’t respond well at the first sign that
things weren’t going to go our way,” coach Kathy
Olivier said. “The crowd was into it and the refs made some
calls that didn’t go our way. But we have to come up with a
stronger effort. I don’t know why we didn’t because we
are in a must-win situation.”
The Bruins traveled to Seattle with aspirations of a sweep of
the Washington programs, with a renewed sense of purpose after
beating No. 13 Arizona State last weekend. Olivier’s pregame
speech to her players was a testament to her composure. She wanted
them to be aware that in a hostile environment things can unravel
quickly and that the only way to overcome a bad break or two is to
not let it carry over to the following play.
But the team got frazzled in front of the Husky faithful and
never regained that forceful mind-set they had set out to
maintain.
“We were just too passive,” sophomore forward
Lindsey Pluimer said. “To win on the road, you have to be
more aggressive and really push the home team, and we didn’t
play that way.”
UCLA ran into a streaking Washington team (12-3, 5-1) that has
won 11 straight games and is gaining strong consideration for The
Associated Press top 25. The Huskies shot 47 percent from the field
and were led by guard Cameo Hicks’ 16 points, 10 rebounds and
6 assists.
The lopsided defeat was really a tour de force of ineptitude for
the Bruins (9-7. 4-3 Pac 10), who couldn’t get offensive
production out of its top two scorers, couldn’t rebound, and
couldn’t contain a Husky offense that capitalized on numerous
second- and third-chance possessions.
Junior guard Noelle Quinn had a season-low five points on 1-8
shooting, while senior standout Lisa Willis also had an off night
with only 11 points on 4-for-14 from the field (1-for-7 from
3-point range). Both players happened to have their poorest
offensive performance on the year in the same game. The
complementary Bruin scorers couldn’t break Quinn or
Willis’ funk, as the team finished 4-for-14 from behind the
arc.
For a finesse team that makes its mark hitting shots from the
perimeter and running the floor, UCLA was out of its element the
whole night.
“Washington was running an up-tempo game that we
couldn’t keep up with and they made their shots,”
Olivier said. “It put the pressure on us and we didn’t
come through.”
The Bruins were also physically man-handled underneath the
basket, getting out-rebounded 49-33. Olivier attributed that to her
team’s sluggish effort on defense.
“Rebounding is all about hustle and wanting that
ball,” Olivier said. “We just didn’t want it as
much.”
Senior point guard Nikki Blue led the Bruins with 24 points, her
season high. Pluimer also registered her top score of the year with
19 points. But Pluimer preferred not to look at her individual
performance as ay kind of silver lining.
“I would always choose me having a bad game if we won over
me having a good game and we lose,” Pluimer said.
UCLA will now travel to Pullman to take on Washington State and
try to salvage the road trip with a split.