For the second year in a row, the Bruins and Cowgirls will meet with their seasons on the line.
But this time, the blue and gold will be in enemy territory.
UCLA women’s basketball (16-12, 8-8 Pac-12) will face off against Wyoming (17-12, 11-6 Mountain West) in Round 3 of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in Laramie, Wyoming on Thursday evening. The Bruins ended the Cowgirls’ season with a 69-48 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, but at a neutral site in Austin, Texas.
Coach Cori Close said having to play the win-or-go-home game on its opponent’s home court allows her team to embrace an underdog mentality.
“We’re going into their environment – they draw a great fan base, really exuberant fan base (and there’s the) altitude,” Close said. “(We’ll) bring as much adversity on so that we have to step into it, lean into it and have a toughness factor about us – sort of us against the world kind of thing.”
Outside of a different crowd environment, UCLA’s roster will look different this time around against a Wyoming team that returned four of its five starters from last season. On the contrary, only three of the Bruins that played in last season’s matchup will be active Thursday evening.
Junior guard Camryn Brown, who was on the team but didn’t play in last year’s matchup, said her UCLA’s preparation balances the familiarity of its opponents’ roster with the awareness of its own differences.
“Wyoming is bringing back a team that was filled with a lot of the girls that played … last year,” Brown said. “We’re a completely different team, … so it’s also been a focus of, ‘Here’s what our team strengths are, and yes, they are bringing back returners, but this is what we also need to do.’”
Wyoming enters the third-round matchup after needing extra time to avoid elimination at home in each of the previous two rounds.
The Cowgirls began their WNIT run with a 76-73 overtime win over Idaho State before taking three overtime periods to finally defeat Tulsa 97-90. Wyoming guard Quinn Weidemann scored a career-high 25 points in the first round before she and guard McKinley Bradshaw – the team’s leading scorer this season – each made four 3-pointers in the second round to set up a date with UCLA.
Close said the Cowgirls’ combination of outside shooting and interior play will test the Bruins.
“They shoot the 3 extremely well. … They’re (a top-30) defensive rebounding team in the country,” Close said. “They’ve got a great post presence on the block. … They’ve got a lot of things that spread you out and make you make a tough decision. So it’s going to be a challenge for us, but I think that’s exactly what we need.”
Meanwhile, the blue and gold are coming off two double-digit victories in the opening rounds behind a few Bruins who could potentially be playing their final collegiate games.
Graduate student guard Natalie Chou scored a game-high 19 points and went 5-of-7 from behind the arc in UCLA’s 61-48 victory over UC Irvine. Graduate student forward IImar’I Thomas then scored a game-high 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in a 61-45 win over Air Force. The blue and gold roster currently consists of eight seniors or graduate students who could call it a career after the team’s WNIT run.
When asked if her preparation changes knowing each game could be her last as a Bruin, redshirt senior guard Chantel Horvat said the only thing that changes is the significance of it all.
“I get quite emotional about it sometimes because I’m really sad that this is my last year,” Horvat said. “I try to approach every game with that urgency and that I want to give 100% when I’m out there on the floor. But if anything, it’s got a little bit more meaning to it.”
UCLA and Wyoming will tip off Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.
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