Every day after practice, freshman Noelle Quinn quietly walks
off the basketball court, her jersey a darker shade of blue than
her teammates. The sweat and hard work haven’t gone
unnoticed. Quinn, who has led the UCLA women’s basketball
team’s resurgence over the past month, is the clear
front-runner to win the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Award.
“It doesn’t come close,” UCLA coach Kathy Olivier
said. “Through the month of February, she was playing the
best basketball of any freshman in the country.” The
statistics seem to agree with Olivier’s assessment. Quinn is
currently fifth in the Pac-10 in scoring (16.0 points per game),
fifth in rebounding (7.6), fifth in steals (2.22) and eighth in
assists (3.13). The freshman, whose all-around game has dazzled
UCLA fans, is looking to become the first Bruin since Maylana
Martin in 1997 to take home the award. “It would be a great
honor, because it would show that you worked hard in your first
season,” Quinn said. “It’s still very meaningful,
but if we don’t win, it’d be hard. I am more of a team
player, and I don’t take personal accolades very well.”
Lauded as the next big thing in UCLA women’s basketball
coming into the season, Quinn struggled out of the box, not playing
up to her full potential. But as the season has progressed, Quinn
has found her niche and role on this team. “Early on, I was
upset because I wanted to be doing a lot better,” Quinn said.
“But I’ve learned to adjust. In the end, it was
definitely the experience that I needed.”
LEAVING HER MARK: Lost in Saturday’s
63-54 loss to No. 10 Stanford was the play of senior Gennifer
Arranaga off the bench. With the Bruins drowning in the midst of a
second-half Cardinal surge, Arranaga provided a lift off the bench,
converting on two drives to the basket to pull UCLA within reach.
Having not played considerable minutes for a stretch of games due
to health reasons, Arranaga is ready to contribute down the
stretch. “All I really care about is making a
difference,” Arranaga said. “I just want to go in there
and provide a spark.”
SENIOR DAY: Sunday’s matchup with USC
will mark the final home game for seniors Arranaga, Whitney Jones
and Jamila Veasley.