Sometimes looking to the enemy can be constructive.
After defeating USC 72-64 on Jan. 12, the women’s
basketball team will attempt to sweep their crosstown rivals
tomorrow at the Sports Arena.
Although the Bruins (12-8, 7-4 Pac-10) have a better season
record than USC (10-12, 5-6 Pac-10), their seasons are headed in
opposite directions. The Bruins’ last game was not one UCLA
fans would have wanted to attend — in front of a record-breaking
crowd at the University of Washington, they were dealt a crushing
111-77 defeat. UCLA has now lost four out of five games, and
its NCAA tournament hopes are in great jeopardy.
“We’re going to have to reach deep down within
ourselves to bounce back from the Washington loss,” said
freshman Nikki Blue.
The Trojans know how to bounce back. After falling to UCLA, USC
was buried in ninth place in the Pac-10 at 1-4. Since playing in
Westwood, however, it has won four of its last six games, including
a 75-72 upset of No. 6 Stanford.
The Bruins were in the midst of their early season six-game
winning streak at the time, and have struggled ever since.
Now that both teams are in their second round of Pac-10 play,
this weekend’s outcome will set the tone for the rest of
their season.
“When we got on a roll, we won a lot of games,” said
head coach Kathy Olivier. “‘SC’s playing well
right now”¦so we’re focusing on playing together and
making sure we execute. We need to make sure we’re playing
well as a unit.”
One of the few positives of last Saturday’s game at
Washington was the scoring prowess of Blue, who netted a
career-high 35 points, breaking UCLA’s school record for
freshmen in the process. Senior Michelle Greco is also performing
solidly, and remained at the top of the Pac-10 in scoring,
averaging 19.6 points per game.
The Bruins won’t miss USC guard Aisha Hollans, who tore
the medial cruciate ligament in her right knee against Cal on Jan.
29. Hollans was averaging 12.7 points per game in scoring and 5.9
rebounds this season, and led USC in scoring in 2002.
If the Bruins have any hope of rejuvenating their season, it is
imperative that they complete the season sweep of their crosstown
rivals.
“We’re all going to have to score and all contribute
in some way,” said Blue. “We just have to come out and
play ‘SC like we did last time.”