Women’s Basketball PREVIEW vs. Saturday 1 p.m.
Boulder, Colorado TV-Fox Sports Net Radio-850 AM www.uclabruins.com
By Scott Schultz
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA women’s basketball team heads into Boulder this
weekend looking for a fresh start to a season which has so far been
tempered by the frustrations and growing pains of an inexperienced
squad that is playing one of the most difficult schedules in the
country.
The Bruins (0-5), who are mired in the slowest start of their
program’s history, went into the summer knowing they would
face the difficult task of replacing four of last year’s
starters, as well as their backup center.
Furthermore, they found out in September that they would be
playing without two of this year’s projected starters,
LaCresha Flannigan, who is academically ineligible, and Nicole
Kaczmarski, who is out with an injury at least until winter
quarter.
“We have a lot of new players, and it’s taken a
while to adjust,” junior guard Michelle Greco said.
“Each game and practice we’ve gotten better, and now
it’s time to get a victory.”
The Bruins are led on the floor by Greco (18.4 ppg), the only
current Bruin who has logged any significant playing time prior to
this year.
The rest of the lineup consists of freshmen, sophomores and
junior transfers who are learning to gel as a team while learning
the rigors of playing at the Division I level. Opening the season
with a non-conference schedule that includes seven teams that
played in the NCAA tournament last season has made matters more
difficult.
“Sure, we would like to put a few cupcakes on our schedule
to get a few easy wins and give the players a little
confidence,” head coach Kathy Olivier said. “The
reality is we don’t do that at UCLA.”
Although Colorado (4-0) is not one of the seven tournament teams
on UCLA’s non-conference schedule, they definitely
can’t be considered a breather. They are a very formidable
team with several returning starters from last year’s
squad.
“They’re not overly quick athletes, but
they’re very strong, very sound and well-coached,”
Olivier said.
The Buffaloes have opened their season with a four-game winning
streak, led by six-foot-five center freshman Tera Bjorklund, who
averaged 15 points a game while averaging only 19 minutes a game.
Recently she scored 28 points in 25 minutes at Wyoming.
They have an effective perimeter game as well, led by junior
Mandy Nightingale (13.5 ppg) and junior Jenny Roulier (.533
three-point percentage). Colorado as a team averages more than 88
points per game and more than 42 rebounds per game.
The Bruins have to contain the Buffaloes’ high-powered
offense, while raising their own offense above its 53.6 scoring
average.
UCLA also needs more of a presence on its front line, where it
has been consistently beaten on the boards this season.
“I am going to get out front and box out. That will be my
job,” junior Shalada Allen said. “We’ve been
working on it in practice and now it’s time to do it in
games.”