It may be a new season, but the UCLA women’s basketball
team finds itself in the exact same situation it did a year ago
heading into its last regular season game.
In 2004, the Bruins were on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament
with a record of 15-11, 10-7 in the Pac-10, entering the final game
of the year at Pauley Pavilion against USC.
This year, UCLA has one more victory under its belt (16-10,
10-7), but finds itself needing a victory Saturday against the
Trojans once again to solidify its postseason standing.
This time, however, the Bruins will need to beat USC at the
Sports Arena, where the Trojans boast an impressive 10-2 home
record.
“This game is extremely important,” UCLA coach Kathy
Olivier said. “We definitely don’t want to be on the
short side of things.”
While the Bruins can finish as high as third place in the Pac-10
with a win, a UCLA loss Saturday would ensure the Bruins a
sixth-place finish in the conference and on the outside looking in
for an NCAA at-large bid.
Though Olivier and the Bruins agree they need two more victories
to realistically guarantee themselves a tournament bid, a loss
Saturday might require the Bruins to run the table in the Pac-10
Tournament.
“We’ve said all along that the magic number is 18
(wins),” point guard Nikki Blue said. “Hopefully, that
should be enough to get us in.”
While the Bruins have been staggering toward their finish, going
5-5 in their last 10 games, USC has rebounded from a slow start in
its season, compiling a 17-9, 11-6 record for third place in the
Pac-10.
“The Trojans have done a great job rebounding from their
slow start,” Olivier said. “They’ve answered the
call, and I’m sure they’ll be out for revenge this
Saturday.”
In the team’s first match-up this season on Dec. 28, UCLA
held off a late Trojan flurry to secure a one-point victory in
their conference opener.
While Olivier relied on the “Triple Threat” of Blue,
Lisa Willis and Noelle Quinn to help carry the Bruins to victory,
she will look to freshmen Lindsey Pluimer and Lauren Pedersen to
contribute to a victory on Saturday.
“The game was ages ago,” Olivier said. “Both
teams have gotten much better since then and I no longer consider
Lindsey and Lauren freshmen.”
Though Pluimer scored 12 points in the teams’ first
match-up, Pedersen did not make it off the bench. But since
Quinn’s injury, Pedersen has had a much larger role in the
lineup.
“Lauren has definitely contributed this season, but she
will not understand the full brunt of the Pac-10 schedule until she
plays against USC.”
“It’s different than any other game.”