KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Junior guard
Jalina Bradley slashes to the basket against BYU
Tuesday night.
By Jackie Abellada
Daily Bruin Contributor
No one would expect it from a team that is playing pretty well
of late.
But shouts of frustration during practices quickly replace the
shouts of joy following the victories of the women’s
basketball squad.
Head coach Kathy Olivier has been pushing her players to work
harder and run faster in practice in order for them to simulate the
feel of an entire game.
Last year, the Bruins appeared to run out of gas during the
waning moments of the games. Consequently, the squad lost several
games it could have won if it had played all 40 minutes.
“Last year, we would hang in the first half against our
opponents, but we folded in the second,” senior forward
Michelle Greco said. “I think we are mentally stronger this
year. We are able to put the two halves together and that is why we
have been winning these games.”
If there is anything these women are known for, it is their
quickness. So it comes as no surprise that hustling up and down the
floor is a key component to the Bruins’ squad.
“It’s been very hard,” freshman guard Brianna
Winn said. “You just don’t ever stop running or Coach
Olivier gets mad.”
The Bruins (3-1) must now test their endurance as they head on
over to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Utes (2-2) this
Saturday.
In last season’s match-up, the UCLA squad was only down by
a mere basket going into the locker room at the half. But the
second half seemed like an entirely different game, as the Utes
outscored the Bruins by 21 points. Rather than a close game, it was
a huge blowout.
This year, Olivier has tried to make sure that these kind of
letdowns do not happen again. She has been hounding her players to
maintain intensity during practices so that they will be able to
endure during actual games.
And it appears to be working. In the last two home games, the
squad has been able to make a series of surges in the second half
to overcome first-half margins and eventually win.
Now the Bruins must see if they can have the same results in an
away game against a team that had a tremendous season last year,
making it into the Sweet 16 and boasting the best record (28-4) in
school history.
“Utah is a very good basketball team. They’re smart,
disciplined and well-coached,” Olivier said. “We need
to go in and not make many mistakes and hopefully come out with a
“˜W.'”
The Bruins are far from being overconfident. The players hope to
come into the game both mentally and physically prepared for their
opponents ““ not only to show their coach, but also to show
themselves that they can play for a full 40 minutes.