W. basketball gets first win of
season, 86-74, over Anteaters
Hughes leads Bruins
past Irvine with a
career-high showing
By Hye Kwon
When Nikki Hilbert of the UCLA women’s basketball team got two
quick fouls in the beginning of the match against UC Irvine on
Monday night, the Bruin coaches were looking for someone to carry
the scoring load. Lucky for them, center Kisa Hughes answered that
call with a roar, scoring a career-high 30 points and grabbing 11
boards in the Bruins’ 86-74 win over the Anteaters at Pauley
Pavilion.
The Bruins (1-1 overall), jumped out to a 49-21 halftime lead,
thanks in large part to Hughes’ dominance over her counterpart
Allah-mi Basheer. Hughes had a two-inch height advantage to begin
with, and the coaching philosophy of Irvine coaches made it even
easier for Hughes to score down low.
"(Basheer) was mostly playing behind me, so it made it easier
for the guards to get the ball inside," Hughes said.
In the second half, however, Irvine outscored UCLA 53-37 and
made a game out of it with just minutes left in regulation. The
trio of Jinelle Williams, Tamera Thomas and Sabrina Roberson were
carrying the Irvine team that simply did not give up. They scored
51 of 74 Anteater points, helping the team shoot 51.5 percent in
the second half.
When the Anteaters came out of the locker room, they started to
press fullcourt and made the Bruins commit numerous turnovers. With
10 minutes to go, the margin was narrowed to 16 points, and the
Bruins desperately held onto that lead until the final buzzer.
"They were hustling. They never gave up," UCLA head coach Kathy
Olivier said. "I have to give (head Coach) Colleen (Matsuhara) and
the Anteaters a lot of credit."
If there was one area in which the Bruins showed weakness, it
was the rebounding category. Against the Irvine team that was
smaller in every position, the Bruins had 42 rebounds. The
Anteaters had just as many rebounds.
Center Zrinka Kristich only had two rebounds in the entire game,
and she had at least a three-inch height advantage at any given
time during the match.
Overall, Olivier did receive a very well balanced contribution
from her squad. All 10 players on the roster scored, all played
more than 10 minutes and all 10 of them scored more than three
points.
One player in particular was overshadowed by Hughes’
performance, and that was freshman Tawana Grimes. She scored 10
points, pulled down five rebounds, had eight assists and tallied
seven steals. On any other night, her performance would have called
for much of the post-game attention. But she has the misfortune of
having her best night alongside Hughes’ career night.
"I consider her one of the leaders on the floor," Olivier
remarked. "As a freshman, that’s a pretty big role. But she’s doing
a good job."
As for other leaders on the team, junior point guard Ricarda
Kuypers scored 10 points but had only one assist. Hilbert also
ended up with nine points, having played in just 19 minutes.
"We need our upperclassmen to be consistent," Olivier said. "And
they’re getting there."