Friday, January 24, 1997
W. HOOPS:
Victory hinges on ability to stop Trojan star Tina ThompsonBy A.
CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
Ever since UCLA defeated California 74-65 in the Wooden Center
two weeks ago, they haven’t had much to celebrate. Sure, they could
have celebrated a blow-out victory over Arizona State on the road,
but the Bruins lost their 20-point lead and fell to the Sun Devils
by one. Their next contest, vs. Arizona, didn’t provide any relief.
The Wildcats, coming off a loss to USC, never gave UCLA a chance.
They led from start to finish and won the game 69-45.
So here we are with a tale of two teams: USC and UCLA. After an
upset victory over then-No. 9 Western Kentucky, the Bruins jumped
into Pac-10 play with a split at the Washington schools. The women
of Troy, on the other hand, lost in double overtime to Western
Kentucky but swept the Washington schools. In fact, since that WKU
loss, USC has won five of six games and stands alone in second
place in the Pac-10 at 5-1, 11-4 overall. Their only loss came
against a tough Stanford team that refused to quit. UCLA, though,
has lost three of four since the Washington trip and finds itself
tied for sixth in the conference at 2-4, 8-7 overall. These two
rivals will clash tonight at 7:30 in Pauley Pavilion.
Last year these two squads split the two-game series, with each
team winning at home.
"Tina Thompson is definitely a concern," said head coach Kathy
Olivier. "Last year when we held her, we beat them. When we didn’t
hold her, she killed us. We’re going to keep someone fresh on her
all game. But we have to come out and play well from the
beginning."
At times this season, the Bruins have played well late in the
game after lapsing early and have found that the holes they dug for
themselves are too deep to get out of. They know that that type of
play will not prove successful against the the Trojans. "They saw
what the Pac-10 is all about (in Arizona)," assistant coach Amy
Jalewalia said. "And they now know what you can’t afford to
do."
To try to avoid a quick deficit, Olivier will open the game
defending Thompson with Maylana Martin. Thompson was named Pac-10
Player of the Week last week for the third time this season. She
has averaged 26.7 points in her last three games, and is second in
the conference in scoring average at 55.4 percent.
With a victory, unranked USC could definitely stake its claim to
a ranking, but the Bruins are looking for the upset at home. A
Bruin victory would put them at 1-0 during a crucial three-game
home stand.
"We have a comfort zone playing at home," said assistant coach
Pam Walker.
"This is a big game for us," Olivier added. "It’s a home game
and a chance for us to get back on track."
WYNN RUJIRAVIRIYAPINYO
Freshman Maylana Martin, Pac-10 Player of the Week, is set to
defend Tina Thompson tonight at Pauley Pavilion.