Preview:
Our first meeting with UCLA is unusually on a Thursday and televised on ESPN.
UCLA has been limping along, sometimes with enough players to play and sometimes not. Earlier in the year they cancelled or postponed 5 in a row. On Friday they forfeited to Oregon, but on Sunday they came up with 8 healthy players to play at Oregon State, where they lost 72-58. In that game they had 4 players score in double digits, but Charisma Osborne did not play. She went down the previous week against Arizona with a non-contact knee injury, which usually bodes ill, but I have no information on if or when she is expected back.
UCLA is ranked 39 by Massey, which puts them in the range of Washington State and not far below Oregon State. They are 9-7, 4-4 in conference. Their best wins have been over Washington State and perhaps their two recent wins over USC. Earlier in the year they looked better, came within 10 of UConn and buried SJSU 112-33. In short, they have been riddled with injuries and illness and thus have been inconsistent. They might be pretty good if they get enough people back.
Leading them against Oregon State--their last game--was 5'9" redshirt freshman guard Dominique Onu, with 13. She enrolled early last season and got a 1/2 a season under her belt, so she is more experienced than it might seem, and seems to be playing well for UCLA. She went 3/6 from three point range and is hitting 46% of her treys on the year. Natalie Chou also had 13, Chantel Horvat was back and had 10, and 5'10" grad transfer Iimari Thomas also had 12. Onu, Chou, and Thomas basically played the whole game.
Most season stats are of questionable utility since we don't know who will show up. If Osborne can go it is a different team. Whether or not Osborne can go they have a post problem. Against Oregon State their tallest player was 6'2" guard Horvat.
I expect that we will try to pound the ball inside when we have the ball. They no longer have Onyenwere and they definitely could use 6'4" Bessoir back from injury. What on earth can they do against Brink? Maybe play zone and clog the paint? Those beautiful high-low lobs to Brink on the block would be virtually unstoppable if she can get position. If they can keep her out of the paint somehow, hopefully Jump will be back and hopefully Brink's three point shot on Sunday is a harbinger of things to come, and JVG could have another opportunity.
When UCLA has the ball they are going to have to hit a lot of mid range jumpers and treys. If they do then perhaps some lanes will open for them to drive on the basket, but that seems to be their only chance to get significant points in the paint.
Our first meeting with UCLA is unusually on a Thursday and televised on ESPN.
UCLA has been limping along, sometimes with enough players to play and sometimes not. Earlier in the year they cancelled or postponed 5 in a row. On Friday they forfeited to Oregon, but on Sunday they came up with 8 healthy players to play at Oregon State, where they lost 72-58. In that game they had 4 players score in double digits, but Charisma Osborne did not play. She went down the previous week against Arizona with a non-contact knee injury, which usually bodes ill, but I have no information on if or when she is expected back.
UCLA is ranked 39 by Massey, which puts them in the range of Washington State and not far below Oregon State. They are 9-7, 4-4 in conference. Their best wins have been over Washington State and perhaps their two recent wins over USC. Earlier in the year they looked better, came within 10 of UConn and buried SJSU 112-33. In short, they have been riddled with injuries and illness and thus have been inconsistent. They might be pretty good if they get enough people back.
Leading them against Oregon State--their last game--was 5'9" redshirt freshman guard Dominique Onu, with 13. She enrolled early last season and got a 1/2 a season under her belt, so she is more experienced than it might seem, and seems to be playing well for UCLA. She went 3/6 from three point range and is hitting 46% of her treys on the year. Natalie Chou also had 13, Chantel Horvat was back and had 10, and 5'10" grad transfer Iimari Thomas also had 12. Onu, Chou, and Thomas basically played the whole game.
Most season stats are of questionable utility since we don't know who will show up. If Osborne can go it is a different team. Whether or not Osborne can go they have a post problem. Against Oregon State their tallest player was 6'2" guard Horvat.
I expect that we will try to pound the ball inside when we have the ball. They no longer have Onyenwere and they definitely could use 6'4" Bessoir back from injury. What on earth can they do against Brink? Maybe play zone and clog the paint? Those beautiful high-low lobs to Brink on the block would be virtually unstoppable if she can get position. If they can keep her out of the paint somehow, hopefully Jump will be back and hopefully Brink's three point shot on Sunday is a harbinger of things to come, and JVG could have another opportunity.
When UCLA has the ball they are going to have to hit a lot of mid range jumpers and treys. If they do then perhaps some lanes will open for them to drive on the basket, but that seems to be their only chance to get significant points in the paint.