UCLA women’s basketball coach Nikki Caldwell promised changes upon her arrival in Westwood.
On Sunday afternoon, her team started delivering on those promises, exhibiting tough defense and an up-tempo style of play in an 86-80 exhibition victory over Love and Basketball, a squad of former college players.
The Bruins and their new head coach hope that the win is just the first of many to come for a team looking to gain a place among the Pac-10’s elite teams. But for now, the focus is on the present, as UCLA looks to fine-tune its play before opening the season in two weeks.
“We outscored our opponent by at least 1 point, and that’s always a plus,” Caldwell said. “We did some good things, but there are some areas that we want to focus in on this week.”
From the start, UCLA began crashing the offensive boards for multiple second-chance points. UCLA also capitalized on its defensive play, converting several fast-break opportunities to increase their early lead. Sophomore point guard Doreena Campbell led UCLA with a 16-point effort in the win.
“It felt good to get back out there, especially now that we have a new atmosphere around here” Campbell said. “We had a couple of lapses, but for the most part, we had harmony.”
Despite a wealth of players returning after logging significant minutes a year ago, the Bruins looked understandably rusty in their opening performance, tallying a surplus of team fouls, mostly a result of increased aggression on both sides of the floor.
“I think everybody made a conscious effort to be aggressive,” Caldwell said.
That increase in aggression was very apparent on Sunday afternoon. Senior guard Tierra Henderson careened into the press table in an attempt to save a out-of-bounds ball. Sophomore forward Candice Brown dove to the floor to grab a loose ball. Several Bruins battled through box-outs for offensive rebounds, creating easy put-back points.
“The board play was really good today,” Caldwell said. “We were also trying to see some different combinations.
Even with all of the experience, UCLA’s newest additions made an impression during their first appearance in a Bruin uniform.
Freshman guard Rebekah Gardner showed off a shooting stroke in the first half, knocking down a pair of open 3-point jumpers on the way to 8 first-half points, while Atonye Nyingifa, a freshman combo guard/forward pitched in on the defensive end.
“When I made that first basket, it built up my confidence for the rest of the game,” Gardner said. “The scenery is different, but I like it a lot.”
On Sunday, the Bruins fittingly sported new uniforms with different lettering to open a season that is all about a fresh approach. Strategically, UCLA implemented a different approach, implementing full-court pressure after nearly every made basket, and succeeding in applying pressure to the opposing backcourt. Caldwell’s defensive emphasis was apparent throughout. UCLA constantly interrupted passing lanes, deflected the basketball, blocked shots and created turnovers.
“I think we had points where we did well, and we also had some times where we laid back and let the other teams get the ball,” Campbell said. “It was probably 50-50 with things we worked on, but we’re working on that.”
Several familiar faces were on display for UCLA. Campbell adeptly ran the show offensively. The interior trio of sophomore forward Christina Nzekwe, junior center Moniquee Alexander and senior center Chinyere Ibekwe looked very strong in the paint, and senior guard Erica Tukiainen came off the bench to provide some veteran presence and shooting. Alexander, Tukiainen and Henderson all scored in double digits for the Bruins.
Sophomore guard Darxia Morris was on the bench for Sunday’s contest, still nursing her left knee back to health after an offseason surgery. The Bruins hope to have her back by December.
UCLA opens the season at home on Nov. 16, when they will face Cal State Fullerton in a non-conference contest.