In what has become a familiar refrain, the UCLA women’s basketball team will pack its bags again, this time for a trip south to San Diego to face the Toreros on Saturday.
The Bruins, who are in the middle of a five-game road swing, are looking to get their season back on track after dropping three of their last four after opening the season with three straight wins.
“This game is really important,” junior guard Tierra Henderson said. “We lost three games we know we should have won. I know going into San Diego it’s going to be hard.”
Those losses, against No. 3 Maryland, Pepperdine and Idaho State, were especially disappointing for the team given their impressive performance against the Terrapins.
A victory won’t come easy against the Toreros, a team that won 21 games last year after winning just nine in 2005-2006. The turnaround gave San Diego a birth in the WNIT, and they are picked to win the West Coast Conference.
San Diego is led by last year’s WCC Co-Player of the Year Amanda Rego, who is among the nation’s leaders in assists with 7.8 per game. The hostile environment will prove to be a tough test for the Bruins, who are coming off a split at the Nugget Classic in Nevada.
“Nevada was very disappointing because we all thought we should have come home with the championship,” Henderson said. “If we come out with defensive intensity, that won’t happen again.”
UCLA hopes to instill its style of play early in Saturday’s contest.
“We want to execute on offense ““ go through our offense and get the easy baskets,” sophomore guard Erica Tukiainen said.
Also important will be the Bruins’ ability to come out strong, something they have failed to do in their losses this season. For the Bruins to succeed, they will have to improve on their customary slow starts and get shots to fall.
“If I can get us going early, it’s like a domino effect,” Henderson said. “It would be contagious.”
Tukiainen underscored the importance of getting in an offensive flow from the outset.
“Offensive awareness and recognizing adjustments (are important),” Tukiainen said.
One player looking to continue providing a defensive spark is Henderson, who has been lauded as an energetic defender by coach Kathy Olivier. Henderson relishes the role she plays on the team, and she emphasizes that it all starts on the defensive end.
“I’m aware that I do have a defensive spark,” Henderson said. “It helps get my team going. They can feed off that.”
Olivier was unavailable for comment after practice on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s practice was oriented around defensive drills and rebounding, further accentuating the increased focus on defense for the Bruin squad.
“You have to take pride in your defense,” Tukiainen said. “We need to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes over again.”
Ultimately, UCLA hopes for a strong showing against a tough Torero squad in order to halt the struggles of the past couple of weeks.
“If we’re able to take little steps forward, that will make us better,” Tukiainen said. “In the long-term, we’ll have more success.”