After a disappointing three-point loss the first time around, the UCLA women’s basketball team will try to exact revenge on its crosstown rival Women of Troy this Saturday at the Galen Center.
In their first matchup, the Bruins’ comeback fell just short in the final seconds as Noelle Quinn’s desperate 3-point attempt missed as time expired.
UCLA will try to return the favor and knock off USC at home. The Galen Center has sold out in advance for the first time in USC women’s basketball history.
“When they played here in Pauley, we had over 7,000,” UCLA women’s basketball coach Kathy Olivier said. “Now they’re saying that their place is going to be sold out. I want to see it first before I believe it, but it’s a great atmosphere for women’s basketball.”
Despite the exciting atmosphere for both teams in the L.A. showdown, there will be no holds barred in this matchup.
“It’s going to be really intense because of the fact that it’s the ‘SC game,” senior guard Noelle Quinn said. “‘SC always plays their best against us.
“The thing about it being at ‘SC though, is that it’s not just ‘SC fans, it’s (an) L.A. game. So we’ll have support too. But at the same time, I’m a people pleaser, so I like to play in front of crowds when your adrenaline’s flowing.”
The Bruins cannot rely only on Quinn to lead them to victory, as she came one rebound away from posting a triple-double in their loss earlier. Junior forward Lindsey Pluimer will be critical to UCLA’s game plan. In their first matchup, Pluimer was limited to 1-9 shooting from the floor and only two rebounds in 30 minutes.
“Plum felt horrible about that,” Olivier said. “She does a lot of things even when she’s not scoring but I have talked to her and told her that we’ll try her in different spots to make her more effective.”
“She’s got to crash the boards and she’s got to stay aggressive. If she’s not ready to get it, then ‘SC’s going to get the best of her. She needs to be ready for a physical basketball game,” Olivier said.
Chinyere Ibekwe will also be a major factor if the Bruins are to contain USC’s post players, including center Chloé Kerr, who put up 19 points against the Bruins earlier. In their first game against the Women of Troy, Ibekwe contributed 16 points in only 28 minutes but got into foul trouble early.
“Ray does more things … than just the offense,” Olivier said. “She’s got to play the defense. If she can play good defense and do a better job on Kerr, then she’s going to help us that much more.”
For the Bruins, using their scout team to imitate what USC will do on offense is also a major factor in shutting it down. The Women of Troy often run set plays to get the ball into the hands of their playmaking guard, Eshaya Murphy, who was limited to only 4-14 shooting by Quinn earlier this season.
“I know for myself the plays that they’re running before they run them,” Quinn said. “(In the first game) it kind of threw (Murphy) off. I remember one time she looked at her coach like, “˜They know what we’re doing.'”
The Bruins hope to see that same look on the USC players’ faces come Saturday.