The UCLA women’s basketball team found some success at the Pac- 10 Tournament over the weekend, and despite having plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the team’s postseason chances, it was the finish that left the Bruins shaking their heads.
On Sunday afternoon, the Bruins suffered a 70-46 loss to Stanford in the Pac-10 Tournament final. It was the Bruins’ first loss in 11 games, but not a necessarily damaging one against the heavily favored Cardinal.
The Bruins looked overwhelmed and overmatched for much of the contest. Offensively, UCLA was unable to get into a rhythm, hindered by the athleticism of the Stanford players. Players were out of place, taking unaccustomed shots. Jumpers clanged harmlessly off the rim. Rebounds and loose balls ended up in the hands of the opposition. It all spoke to a sense of stagnancy prevalent in UCLA’s play in the final.
“At times, we were aggressive,” UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell said. “But there’s no room for passiveness when you’re gunning for a championship, and there was passive play tonight.”
The Cardinal utilized its size advantage, turning to a pair of all-conference bigs to dominate in the paint. Pac-10 Player of the Year Nnemkadi Ogwumike finished with 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Her quickness off the block and ability to shoot from mid-range frustrated UCLA’s post players. Senior center Jayne Appel added 15 points of her own.
“There’s a reason why Nnemkadi is the Player of the Year in the Pac-10,” Caldwell said. “She can knock down big shots for them. Their big three came to play, and it showed. We were not able to balance their attack out with our play.”
Meanwhile, the team was left looking for answers after suffering its first major loss in more than a month. UCLA is still entering the postseason on a hot streak. Caldwell’s team has lost just twice since Jan. 21 ““ both times to the Cardinal. Fatigue could have been a factor in the poor play, especially following the difficult victory against USC on Saturday night.
“I don’t know why we came out so passive,” sophomore Jasmine Dixon said. “I tried to pick that up. I don’t even know. Usually we’re aggressive, but today I just don’t think we were there mentally.”
Dixon finished with 20 points to lead the Bruins offensively. She was the only player to score in double figures for an offense that looked out of sync.
“Our offense became very choppy and very stagnant,” Caldwell said. “Patience wasn’t there. The jump shot is going to be there, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it off the first pass.”
With the loss, the Bruins finish the Pac-10 Tournament in the same place they closed out the regular season: second place. But despite having their 10-game winning streak snapped, Caldwell believes that her team is in a good place.
“I didn’t feel like we gave up,” Caldwell said. “This team is a team that is almost at 40 minutes. We’re getting there.”
The final, however, was a game with few bright spots for UCLA. Several players hit the floor going after loose balls. Dixon limped off after taking a particularly hard spill. There were more than a few unfriendly rolls on layups and free throws. Caldwell spent much of the contest visibly frustrated with the officiating. But more than anything, the Cardinal executed a more efficient game plan.
“Stanford did a great job of handling the different looks that we threw at them,” Caldwell said. “Late in the season, they’re good. It seems that they are a team that clicks on all cylinders. They understand postseason play.”
Despite the loss, two members of the Bruins’ squad, Dixon and freshman Markel Walker, walked away with all-tournament honors. It was Walker’s key bucket with just under two minutes to go that spurred her team to the win over USC. Dixon was one of the few Bruins to be effective offensively against Stanford before fouling out late in the second half. She also contributed a double-double against USC. According to Walker, however, there is still work to be done.
“We have to learn how to play for 40 minutes,” Walker said. “Going into the tournament, playing against tougher competition, we have to put together 40 minutes.”
UCLA will head to its first postseason since winning the Pac-10 Tournament title in 2006. Even with the tough loss, Caldwell remained optimistic about the Bruins’ tournament prospects.
“This team has come far from the beginning of the year,” Caldwell said. “There’s still more games to be played.”