If dropping its season opener Friday night didn’t put a
scare into the UCLA women’s basketball team, the scene in the
locker room after the game certainly did.
Sophomore guard Noelle Quinn, who was suffering cramps all
throughout Friday’s 65-60 loss to Texas Christian in the
Miami Jam tournament in Coral Gables, Fla., was tended to by
paramedics after the game for suffering from dehydration.
Complaining that she was sweating abnormally during warm-ups,
Quinn still played 33 minutes and logged 14 points against the
Horned Frogs, but her body simply wasn’t responding the way
she wanted it to.
After the game the cramps escalated and Quinn required two
IV’s to replenish her body with fluids.
“I put a lot of effort and energy into everything I
do,” said Quinn, who lost weight over the summer after
adhering to a strict workout regimen.
“I was very scared, I’ve never had to get an IV or
anything. I guess the paramedics came in, most of the time my eyes
were closed.”
“Her body was almost in a state of shock,” added
coach Kathy Olivier.
Already without a healthy Nikki Blue, who is still suffering
from an ankle sprain, a stagnant Quinn made the task of beating
TCU(1-1), a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year, that much
more difficult.
Even though the Bruins forced the Horned Frogs into committing
an astounding 30 turnovers, they couldn’t overcome the
injuries to two-thirds of their Triple Threat.
“We weren’t at full strength, and I think that hurt
us,” Olivier said. “If someone is going to stop us,
it’s going to be ourselves. We’re a very good
basketball team when we’re 100 percent, and we’re not
there yet.”
UCLA (1-1) finished the game shooting the ball at only a 33
percent clip; junior Lisa Willis led the Bruins with 15 points.
More important than the limited production from Blue (three
points) and Quinn (6-for-17 shooting) during Friday’s season
opener is when the two will be playing close to 100 percent.
“(Blue’s) probably a little under 70 percent, which
is a little scary,” Olivier said. “Her leadership
doesn’t show up in the stats right now, but she’s still
doing some amazing things.”
Given 36 hours to recuperate, both Blue and Quinn played in
UCLA’s 89-48 rout of Gardner-Webb (0-2) in Sunday’s
consolation game of the Miami Jam tournament, though their minutes
were closely watched.
While Blue only finished with four points in 22 minutes, Quinn
led the Bruins with 20 points in only 27 minutes, despite being
repeatedly subbed in-and-out of the game as a precaution.
“I rested a lot Friday night, and Saturday I drank, and
drank a lot,” Quinn said. “I felt like I kind of
redeemed myself. I was really focused before the game. I made sure
I didn’t overdo it.”
The win, the Bruins’ first of the season, still was a
confidence booster, despite coming against an inferior Bulldog
team. UCLA held Gardner-Webb to 26 percent shooting and used a 24-6
run to open the second half to bury the Bulldogs.
“We obviously wanted to come home 2-0, but under the
circumstances, we’ll be OK with being 1-1 I guess,”
Olivier said.
The Bruins will play their home opener this Wednesday against
Clemson at Pauley Pavilion.