Women’s basketball plays for chance to exclusively hold top Pac-12 spot

Senior guard Jordin Canada is on the verge of her biggest milestone yet.

The senior became the first woman in Pac-12 history to reach 1,800 points and 700 assists in a career back in mid-January. Then Canada took over as UCLA’s all-time assist leader.

She now needs just 11 assists to break the conference’s 27-year-old career assists record, held by former Stanford guard Sonja Henning.

But this weekend is big for another reason.

No. 7 UCLA women’s basketball (21-4, 12-2 Pac-12) will rematch against No. 15 Oregon State (19-6, 10-4) on Friday and No. 9 Oregon (23-4, 12-2) on Monday. If the Bruins take down the Beavers, the team will have a chance to take sole possession of the top spot in the Pac-12 standings with a win in Monday’s nationally televised game against the Ducks.

Facing their second and third consecutive AP Top-25 teams, UCLA still sits in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Oregon and No. 14 Stanford (18-8, 12-2).

“We’ll have the potential to play our best basketball,” said coach Cori Close. “This weekend, and specifically Oregon State first, will force us to go to new heights.”

The Beavers boast three of the Pac-12’s top-five 3-point shooters in guards Aleah Goodman, Katie McWilliams and Kat Tudor – together averaging 46.4 percent from beyond the arc. Oregon State drains about nine triples a game, accounting for 36 percent of its points per contest.

When UCLA trounced Oregon State 84-49 on Jan. 5, the Bruins’ defense suffocated the Beavers’ offensive flow by limiting their 3-point shooting to just 16.7 percent.

“It was our ball pressure and our aggressiveness from the jump,” Canada said. “We came out and defended ball screens well and we knew who their 3-point shooters were and what we needed to do to take that away.”

Senior forward Monique Billings battled down low with center Marie Gülich – the two are the top rebounders in the Pac-12, averaging 9.6 and 9.0, respectively. Billings shot eight-for-12 throughout the whole game, with 13 of her 19 points coming in the first half. She was also able to draw Gülich away from the basket with her effective midrange jumper.

“(Gülich is) very big and very skilled, so (I’m) just trying to use my strengths to my advantage when I play a bigger player,” Billings said. “So pressuring her, trying to deny her touches early in the shot clock and just trying to make her uncomfortable.”

Against Oregon on Jan. 7, UCLA trailed for three quarters but kept the contest close, eventually taking a four-point lead midway through the final frame. However, the Bruins grew cold, failing to make a field goal in the final three minutes of the game allowing the Ducks to pull away to win 70-61.

“(We need to be able to) finish out games,” Billings said. “We had them, but we just kind of let the game fall through our hands.”

Close said after the loss to Oregon that UCLA missed 20 shots in the war zone. The “war zone” is about an 8-foot box around the basket and in the paint where executing on high-percentage looks is crucial.

“When you get the ball there, you have to convert,” Close said. “If you miss but get an offensive rebound, you have to deliver – either getting to the free throw line or you’ve got to put the ball in the basket.”

Freshman forward Michaela Onyenwere has been dominating the offensive glass, leading the team with 11 offensive rebounds total against the Arizona schools last weekend. She also notched 29 total points on the weekend, which earned her Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this season.

“The freshmen and our bench players have been doing a great job of coming in and bringing in that energy for the past 10 games,” Canada said. “I know that this weekend is a big weekend for us, but I know that they’re going to step up to the challenge and bring us the energy that we need to help us carry out hopefully two wins.”