The players were full of spirit, jumping up and down and high-fiving each other. Coach Cori Close was smiling. The cheers of anticipating fans, the rumble of the announcer, balls dribbling and swooshing through nets, the squeaks of shoes – these are the sounds of a highly anticipated season of UCLA women’s basketball on the brand-new court of Pauley Pavilion.
It was hard to ignore the energy coming from the bench of the UCLA women’s basketball team in its exhibition game Sunday afternoon. The newly revamped UCLA team defeated the Westmont Warriors 92-54 in what turned out to be a showcase of new talents.
The No. 23 Bruins proved that a team of freshmen can be just as effective on the court as a group of veterans.
For the first time in program history, the Bruins headed into Pauley Pavilion Sunday with the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, featuring three McDonald’s All-Americans: freshman point guards Jordin Canada and Recee’ Caldwell as well as freshman forward Lajahna Drummer.
Yet Close didn’t emphasize the recruiting class’ prestige. Rather, she elaborated on the “humility of heart” that the new players exhibited in practice and competition as well as their ability to be led by the older players on the team.
“I’ve never given them that number – No. 1 recruiting class – I think that’s something you earn,” Close said. “They want to earn something special here. They want an uncommon experience. They want to have a chance to build an elite, sustained, excellent program, and they know they haven’t done that yet.”
Close said she was incredibly proud of the returning players for how they received and taught the freshmen in order to make the team successfully work together on Sunday.
Junior guard Nirra Fields and redshirt freshman forward Paulina Hersler led the Bruins in scoring with 14 points each, while Hersler also tallied 13 rebounds. Canada provided four assists, as did fellow freshman Caldwell.
The Bruins retained a commanding lead the entire game. By the end of the first half, UCLA was ahead of Westmont 48-26. A Caldwell 3-pointer at the start of the second half jump-started the Bruins into what would be a dominating half, keeping a lead of more than 20 points until the final buzzer.
“We weren’t focused on the score. We were more focused on each possession, getting stops, executing good offense,” Hersler said.
The team is well aware that improvements have to be made before hitting the road for two consecutive games against James Madison and North Carolina – two teams that handed the Bruins losses last year. Fields emphasized communication on the court and strengthened defensive play as areas the Bruins could develop.
“Defense is the No. 1 thing that is going to help us beat the better teams,” Fields said.
While the final score of 92-54 proved that the Bruins have a fresh crop of talent and a heightened anticipation this year, Close continued to stress the importance of growth.
“There has to be an urgency about getting better with every play. We have a lot of really great athletes and a lot of great pieces, but we are nowhere close to being a great team yet,” Close said. “I really like the physical side of us, and I like the team-spirit side of us. I think it’s the mental side that needs to take another jump.”