Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. isn’t your ordinary basketball court. A forest of fir trees incorporated into the court’s outer design frames the famous University of Oregon logo and the words “Deep in the Woods.”
UCLA women’s basketball will have a chance at redemption when it leaves the comfort of Pauley Pavilion for the first time in three games, and travels deep into the woods this Saturday.
The last time the Bruins played the Ducks on Jan. 5th, they suffered a 62-46 loss. Shooting with a low accuracy of 25 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from beyond the curve, UCLA’s seven-point halftime lead dwindled in the second period. Oregon went on an 11-0 run and sunk it’s first five 3-pointers in the second half, never letting the Bruins regain momentum.
“Basketball is a game of runs, it happens all the time,” said coach Cori Close. “That’s not going to change – our response is what needs to change.”
This Saturday, UCLA (8-11, 4-4 Pac-12) travels to Oregon (8-11, 1-7) with two consecutive losses to Stanford and Cal. In both those games, the Bruins watched leads evaporate after runs by the opposition – similar to the last time they played the Ducks
Close said that the team has been practicing 40-minute consistency by incorporating a “halftime” during practice scrimmages and working on drills and attitudes during the break to better prepare the team for a dominant second-period effort.
“I do not believe that we took care of things under our control when we played Oregon last time,” Close said. “It’s going to be very important that we prepare better, we put ourselves in a situation where we take away what they do. … We need to have better mental focus.”
Mental lapses have put the Bruins in vulnerable positions in past conference games. Rebounding, which once was a strength, has been lacking, as well as the ability to capitalize on turnovers. Additionally, the Bruins will need to maintain aggressiveness to avoid playing catch-up in the second half.
Redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver, the only Bruin to score in double figures against the Ducks, said that emphasis must be put on improved post play and defense on Saturday.
“(Our posts) got a lot of shot opportunities, they just weren’t hitting that game. We’ve really been focusing on getting into the post again and just having them finish,” Korver said. “Also, they have some good shooters and we let them go off in that game.”
When UCLA faced Oregon earlier this month, the Bruins saw limited play from junior guard Nirra Fields, and freshman guard Jordin Canada was benched the entire game due to a broken nose and concussion.
Canada’s playing time has increased over the past games. Against Cal last weekend, Canada played 37 minutes. Close said Canada’s leadership on the court this Saturday will be crucial.
“(Canada’s) is a huge catalyst for our team,” Close said. “She has to be somebody that controls the game, reads defenses well, and puts people in positions of strength. That’s what elite point guards do, and that’s what we expect from (Canada). Age ain’t nothing but a number at this point.”
Canada said she noticed her teammates’ loss of aggression from her spectator spot on bench in the last Oregon matchup. She feels as if the team has grown in past weeks, and the game on Saturday will be a different story than the game on the Jan. 5.
“I’m expecting for us to have a lot more pressure, a lot more fight in us,” Canada said. “Obviously (Oregon) is going to have a slight advantage playing at home, but we’ve been playing really well on the road when facing adversity. … We just have to stick together.”