Freshman forward Amanda Livingston had heard it too many times
before. The calls from coach Kathy Olivier and her Bruin teammates
to be more focused, to play with more intensity, and to be ready if
called upon were growing tiresome.
After her performance in UCLA’s 78-57 win over Washington
State on Saturday, Livingston may not need to hear those words
again.
With contributions from all 11 players who suited up for the
game, the Bruins (12-10, 7-6 Pac-10) easily dismantled Washington
State (5-17, 1-12) in Pullman, stretching its winning streak to
three games with the crucial road victory.
And, for a change, Livingston had a lot to do with securing the
win for her team.
“I feel more of a part of the team when I do well,”
said Livingston, who provided a spark off the Bruins’ bench
with 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting. “Unlike before, I really
felt like I helped the team win today, but I am not going to get
too excited until I can do this again.”
“I challenged Livingston before the game to be focused and
ready,” Olivier said. “She definitely was.”
With starters Whitney Jones and Lisa Willis in foul trouble
early in the first half, Olivier was forced to empty her bench,
something she hasn’t done with regularity this season.
When summoned, the reserves not only spelled the starters, they
excelled in their place. A lineup of Livingston, Ortal Oren, Emma
Tautolo, Noelle Quinn and Nikki Blue stretched a teetering
one-point lead into a cozy 11-point cushion in a matter of
minutes.
“It was nice to see everyone in the mix,” Olivier
said. “Our subs did a good job of keeping the starters’
tempo. We played well in the first half, and we really took it to
them in the second half.”
In what is becoming a pattern, Quinn led the Bruins in scoring
for the third consecutive game, all of which were UCLA victories,
tallying 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting. While Quinn’s streak
of three consecutive double-doubles came to an end, the guard still
managed to pull down a team-high seven rebounds.
“Noelle had a lot to do with this road sweep,”
Olivier said. “She’s making a serious play for Pac-10
freshman of the year.”
Sophomore Nikki Blue was the other Bruin in double figures and
posted a double-double of her own, scoring an efficient 15 points
on 5-of-8 shooting and dishing out a game-high 10 assists.
While the Bruin offense was commendable, their defense was
impregnable. UCLA held Washington State to an abysmal 26.7 percent
shooting from the field and forced the Cougars into committing a
whopping 28 turnovers.