Coach Cori Close stood at half-court, her eyes scanning the players waiting in position to practice zone defense strategy.
Rather than continue to watch her team run the simulated play half-heartedly, Close walked off the court, took her bags and prematurely exited Wednesday’s practice through the northwest wing of Pauley Pavilion with the rest of the coaching staff.
An uneasy silence fell over the court: no dribbles, no shoe squeaks. The team exchanged anxious glances and stayed frozen in position until redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver stepped onto the court from her place on the sideline.
“Run it again.”
With the Pac-12 tournament less than three weeks away, UCLA women’s basketball (10-15, 6-8 Pac-12) heads into its final two home games this weekend against Arizona State (22-4, 11-3) and Arizona (9-16, 2-12) with a straightforward outlook: Basketball is a mind game – mental focus and urgency are a team’s greatest weapon.
“We just have to pay attention to details and communicate,” said freshman guard Jordin Canada. “I think we lack in that area and, most of the time, we rely on our athleticism to get the job done … it takes more effort than that.”
The Bruins tip off on Friday against No. 12 ASU for the first time this season, a program which has surged in the Pac-12 with a program-first 22 wins.
“Arizona State is physically tough, mentally tough. … They’re not complicated,” Close said. “It’s not an X’s and O’s thing, it’s a mental battle. If we want to be an elite basketball program, then we’re going to have to learn how to play with that kind of mental toughness.”
ASU boasts the No. 1 scoring defense in the Pac-12, largely correlated with its No. 1 rank in rebounding defense. Although the Sun Devils have three strong freshmen on their roster, they rarely see minutes on the court due to the return of experienced starters – guard Katie Hempen, forward Sophie Brunner, and guard Promise Amukamara, who has been a defensive threat inside as well as a consistent scoring leader.
In its past two games, ASU has only turned the ball over a combined total of 16 times. In contrast, UCLA had 14 miscues against Stanford alone.
“We learned that execution is a big thing we need to work on for the rest of the season to be ready for the Pac-12 (tournament),” Canada said. “Cal and Stanford executed their plays really well and I think if we focus on our purpose for each play, we will be more effective.”
On Sunday afternoon, UCLA will switch gears to host Arizona.
Despite having won only two conference games, the Wildcats have proven that records are irrelevant in a conference that is dictated by mental focus. Arizona upset No. 18 Stanford just before the final buzzer on Feb. 8, then forced 15 turnovers against No. 7 Oregon State a week later.
“(Arizona is) anyone any night,” Close said. “In this conference, it’s true this year. Any given night, you better be ready … or they’re going to take something from you.”
Arizona forward LaBrittney Jones, who has scored in double-digits in six of her last eight games, and guard Candice Warthen have been consistent offensive weapons in the Wildcat arsenal.
Close emphasized that UCLA’s scouting reports from the weekend will look entirely different. Arizona’s style of play is a sharp contrast to that of ASU’s.
UCLA has lost 16 straight games to ranked opponents. Beating the Sun Devils would boost the Bruins heading into the tournament.
“I have the utmost respect for what ASU has done, but I also know what we’re building here (at UCLA),” Close said. “If you’re not up to the challenge, then you don’t know what we’re building. … I expect our team to be up to the challenge.”
The Bruins are.
After Close’s Wednesday exodus, the players fine-tuned the areas where they had fallen short, independent of a coaching staff. Korver acknowledged that the team had to take ownership of its lack of urgency.
“We needed to continue practicing,” she said. “One way or another, we needed to conquer the drill and get prepared for ASU.”