Approaching the end of regulation on Saturday afternoon in the Bahamas, Jordin Canada walked back to the bench after getting her fifth personal foul against No. 3 Notre Dame. Accompanying the sophomore guard on the bench was senior guard Nirra Fields and senior forward Kacy Swain, the other two starters who fouled out of the game.
The No. 24 Bruins’ (3-2) foul trouble, sidelining three of the team’s top scorers, would be one of the various aspects that would lead to their 92-84 overtime loss against the Fighting Irish, but UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close said that there were many little things that led to the team’s downfall.
“I don’t think we came out as focused as we needed to, we came out a little flat (against Louisiana Tech) – that was the first game I thought we came out flat, and so we learned about emotion and preparation,” Close said. “In the second game (against Notre Dame), I think we learned about the inches and you learn about how important every little thing is. Defending without fouling, and all the things that we talked about in executing a game plan.”
The aggression that was seen in the last game against Notre Dame was also noticeable in practice on Tuesday morning, leading to a new high-tension environment on the court.
With forwards fouling hard and skirmishes over loose balls, players walked on the court with scowls and tired postures, nearly replicating a game day-type atmosphere.
“I think (the tension) was really important although we’re trying to emulate a game-pressurized situation in the practice,” Fields said. “Although it’s probably not exactly the same way we’ll experience things during games, it’s kind of close so when we get into pressurized situations we’ll probably be more prepared than the other team and we’ll be able to take advantage of the situation.”
This could be beneficial for UCLA as the team prepares to face Cal State Bakersfield (1-5). The two teams met in the first round of the WNIT tournament last season where the Bruins rolled over the Roadrunners in a 70-54 blowout.
“They’re really quick on the perimeter, they’re versatile, they run tons of ball screens (and) it’s going to force us to really break down and guard,” Close said. “If we can guard and get rebounds, we can score and transition. If we need to take the ball out of the net that’s a lot harder for us so they’re going to create a challenge for us.”
The Roadrunners contain a roster with seven players that average more than 73 percent from the free throw line. This could cause problems for the Bruins if they have the same foul trouble as they did against the Fighting Irish. UCLA also needs to implement more pressing plays into their game plan to stop Bakersfield, whose team contains a majority of guards.
“A lot of them are guards so they shoot a lot of threes, so (I’m) expecting them to be able to shoot, drive and play versatile positions,” said sophomore forward Monique Billings.
UCLA faces off against CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.