Thursday, January 29, 1998
UCLA backed into Redd corner by outstanding Husky player
W.BASKETBALL: Past Bruin wins at Edmundson were few, but team
confidence still runs high
By Chris Umpierre
Daily Bruin Contributor
When the UCLA women’s basketball team travels to Edmundson
Pavilion to take on the Washington Huskies tonight at 7 p.m., it
hopes not to be seeing red during the game.
Jamie Redd, that is.
The junior Bruin-killer has lit up UCLA in recent years. Last
year, she averaged 26 points per game, seven rebounds and 4 assists
in two games against the Bruins.
In last year’s game at Washington, she had the Bruins reeling
after the game as Redd torched UCLA for 31 points on 9 of 18
shooting en route to a 98-75 Husky victory.
"She plays like USC’s Kristin Clark," UCLA head coach Kathy
Olivier said, whose team couldn’t stop Clark last Friday night as
she poured in 25 points. "She can either beat you on the outside or
blow right past you."
Redd’s game has gotten better this year, as she is second in
scoring in the Pac-10 with her 20.7 points per game. She is the
reason why the Huskies are 12-4 overall and 3-4 in the Pac-10.
But Redd will be facing a much different UCLA team this year.
The Bruins (10-6, 5-2) are playing the program’s best ball in
recent years as they are winners of eight of their last 10
games.
Redd will also have to contend with Erica Gomez, who returned
this year for the Bruins after a knee injury made her sit out last
season. Gomez, the 1996 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, is back to her
old form this year as she has dished out 5.3 assists and garnered
two steals a game at the point guard position.
"Jamie Redd and I have a little rivalry going," Gomez said, who
beat out Redd for Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors in 1996.
Olivier has told Gomez, who will be guarding Redd, and the rest of
the Bruins to keep the All Pac-10 first teamer on the perimeter.
Which might not be such a good proposition, as Redd has made 38
three-pointers, which has her at the top of the Pac-10 in that
category.
"We are going to make her beat us from the perimeter," Olivier
said. "We are going to try to stop her penetration and make her
shoot the long bombs."
In addition to dealing with Redd, the Bruins will have to deal
with the 5,000 people expected to fill up Edmundson Pavilion, a
court the Bruins haven’t won on since Feb. 8, 1994.
In fact, UCLA has only beaten Washington at Edmundson three
times in school history (the schools have met on the court 12
times). The UCLA women’s basketball program is just 5-19 against
Washington.
After they deal with Redd and the Huskies, the team will travel
to Pullman on Saturday to take on Washington State (9-7, 3-4).
Olivier likes UCLA’s chances of sweeping the weekend’s
games.
"We’ll bring our brooms and hope everyone is riding the same
broom," Olivier said, who’s team is 3-0 on the road in the
Pac-10.