UCLA women’s basketball wins 66-50 against Hawai’i in NCAA first round
UCLA’s Monique Billings joined forces with fellow sophomore forward Lahjahna Drummer to barricade the UCLA basket from Hawai’i’s offensive attacks. The Bruins won 66-50 at Pauley Pavilion. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Reed MacDonald
March 19, 2016 7:58 p.m.
The idea that a Hawaiian team could upend a highly touted UC school was no longer alien to Hawai’i women’s basketball. Barely 24 hours before the women tipped off against UCLA on Sunday afternoon, the No. 13 men’s team had outworked No. 4 California for a shocking upset. The women knew what could happen, and knew the effort that they had to give to make it possible.
UCLA, to its credit, was just as aware of how short-lived the tournament could be for a content team.
In a 66-50 first-round win, the No. 3 Bruins handled the No. 14 Rainbow Wahine, appearing ready for the upstart underdogs.
“We came really prepared,” said UCLA freshman guard Kennedy Burke. “It was really rough out there.”
UCLA began the game enthusiastically. Seven players scored in the first half for the Bruins, who played with the same energy they’ve shown throughout the season.
The Rainbow Wahine were constantly double- and triple-teamed around the perimeter. When they did get it into the post, sophomore forwards Lahjahna Drummer and Monique Billings constantly barricaded the basket. The 12-point lead at halftime was more due to the resilient Hawai’i team than to any lack of effort on UCLA’s part.
Hawai’i’s aggressiveness made up for its lack of individual firepower.
The Rainbow Wahine did what they knew how to do: create movement toward the basket, get to the free-throw line and make the Bruins earn everything they could.
Hawai’i out-rebounded UCLA 45 to 42 and got to the line at almost twice the rate of the Bruins, keeping the visitors in the game even when nothing was falling. This kept UCLA from getting into transition, generally the team’s favored style of play.
“(It’s hard when we’re) putting them on the free-throw line and just having them making those easy shot and playing to their game,” Fields said. “They’re more methodical and we’re more up-tempo, so we played right into their hands.”
UCLA may have wished it had done more, as Sunday’s win wasn’t the dismantling that some top teams have given already in the tournament – but it was something. The Bruins came out with energy, and when their offense became stagnant they willed production from their deep roster.
“What I do like is when you have bad shooting nights and you don’t have rhythm, you find ways to win,” said coach Cori Close. “In the NCAA Tournament, it’s really important that when things aren’t pretty and when things aren’t comfortable, can you find ways to get the job done.”
While Hawai’i isn’t untalented, it had difficulty matching up for an entire game with a UCLA team that contains four McDonald’s All-Americans. The Bruins’ youngest is freshman guard Kennedy Burke, who spent her first NCAA Tournament appearance having one of her best games of the season, coming off the bench to shoot 6 of 7 for 15 points.
Fields, another former high school All-American, finished with 16 points, nine of which came in the third quarter when the rest of the team looked their most lethargic.
The Rainbow Wahine came out with an energy and a hustle of a group that wanted to pull an upset, but a winning team cannot shoot 20 percent against a squad with the individual play of the Bruins. It was a valiant effort, but ultimately unsuccessful.
