The Arizona State women’s basketball team started Thursday’s game against UCLA on a caffeine-like high.
In the opening minutes of the game, the Sun Devils (19-9, 13-4 Pac-10) never stopped pressuring the Bruins (14-14, 9-8 Pac-10) with their intensity. Similar to how caffeine causes fatigue once it wears out, the Sun Devils subbed four of their starters out after just a minute and a half of play to let them rest after their initial surge.
The intense plan worked as Arizona State overthrew the Bruins 73-67 on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion. The Sun Devils’ win can be attributed to their strong start. Arizona State scored the first seven points of the game and led by as much as 17 in the first half.
“They platoon early with their energy,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “We were working on that all week, and we knew exactly what to expect. I just thought things did not go our way.”
The game, however, was not all downhill for the Bruins. Two freshmen players eventually provided the sparks that UCLA needed. Freshman forward Nina Earl came off the bench and contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.
“I have been kind of in a slump lately, and I knew that I had to come out today and help my team,” Earl said. “We knew Arizona State was a tough team, and I knew I just had to come out and play hard today. “
With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Earl made a jumper followed by a layup within 20 seconds to close the Sun Devils’ lead to 27-19. She also put up a consistent effort and at one point collected two offensive rebounds on her own missed layups.
“I think that I was more mad that I kept missing the basket, so I wanted to get the rebound so that I could go at it again,” Earl said.
After trailing 40-28 at halftime, the Bruins played much stronger in the second half. UCLA was able to close the Sun Devils’ lead down to three points in the 10th minute.
After missing both of her shots in the first half, freshman center Regina Rogers came back and provided eight points for UCLA in the second. She was on a roll until she fouled out of the game late.
“I thought she had some good looks early in the game, but she just didn’t finish,” Olivier said. “But once she got through that spell, she could not be denied. She has to learn how to stay out of trouble and play a few more minutes for us and she will be that much better.”
Rogers fouled out on a questionable call. Arizona State’s junior guard Briann January had been slipping on the court all night, and in her drive for a lay-up, she fell into a group of Bruins. The referees called a foul on Rogers.
The loss keeps UCLA in fifth place in the Pac-10 standings.
SENIOR DAY SATURDAY: The Bruins have just one more game left in the Pac-10 season as they host Arizona on Saturday at 11 a.m. UCLA will honor its lone senior Lindsey Pluimer, the team’s staring forward and captain. This season, she leads UCLA in nearly every category including scoring, total blocks, free-throw shooting and field-goal percentage.
“(Pluimer) has been very special to this team for four years,” Oliver said. “Very rarely do you have a player that starts every game in her college career.”