A low-scoring performance is never a positive way to describe a game. It was also not the ideal way for the UCLA women’s basketball team to start off the second half of the Pac-10 season.
The Bruins (11-10, 6-4 Pac-10) fell to No. 9 California (18-3, 9-1 Pac-10) 67-53 on Thursday night at Haas Pavilion, the lowest number of points the team has scored all season.
UCLA was not able to put points on the board, as California led throughout most of the game, by as many as 19 points. Freshman guard Doreena Campbell had the most productive night for UCLA with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals. She was the only Bruin to finish in double figures.
“Doreena was very aggressive,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “She came in and made some things happen and she made some good decisions.”
UCLA also got support from junior center Chinyere Ibekwe’s nine rebounds, and junior guard Tierra Henderson and freshman guard Darxia Morris each had eight points.
The Golden Bears were able to hold senior forward Lindsey Pluimer and freshman forward Nina Earl to single digits in scoring, an unusual feat considering Pluimer and Earl are the only Bruins averaging double digits in scoring. No other team has been able to stop both Pluimer and Earl from their normal offensive production.
“The reality is that they never got easy shots because they had to work so hard defensively,” Olivier said. “They never got easy looks on the offensive end.”
Pluimer was limited to only seven points, her lowest point total since she scored six points in a loss to San Diego earlier this season.
On a positive note, according to Olivier, the Bruins were satisfied with their effort on the defensive front. UCLA was able to force California to turn the ball over 19 times. The Bruins made sure to contain California from scoring in the paint but were unsuccessful in stopping the Bears from the perimeter.
“That’s where our focus is: our defense,” Olivier said. “(California) did a good job. They have quickness and they have a strong post (presence), so they can do a little bit of both inside and out.”
Both teams had a slight scare in the 12th minute of the second half.
Henderson went after a loose ball, causing a collision between the Bruins’ Morris and California’s Shantrell Sneed and Devanei Hampton. Sneed had both legs taken out from under her and Morris fell on her left knee.
“She actually got hit hard and she went down along with two of Cal’s players,” Olivier said. “She actually was a little stiff, but she is a competitor. … She came back in after that.”
The three-player collision was enough to worry Morris’ teammates. Morris only recently recovered from a right knee sprain and rejoined the team just last weekend.
“It was a big concern going on because she had just come back,” Campbell said. “The way she had fallen, and from my point of view, it looked like her leg was bent out. She didn’t get up right away, which was a little concern, but after she got up she was walking pretty well.”
Despite the loss, the Bruins are optimistic for a better showing against No. 7 Stanford on Saturday.
“I think it just comes down to more concentration and hopefully, for the next game, they will fall for us,” Campbell said.