UCLA prepares for Wildcat rematch

  CHRIS BACKLEY/Daily Bruin Freshman Jamilia
Veasley shoots in Saturday’s disappointing loss to USC.
The Bruins hope for another win against Arizona this Thursday.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Tonight 6 p.m. Tucson,
Ariz. Radio – 850 AM

By Joshua Mason
Daily Bruin Reporter

The UCLA women’s basketball squad will seek its first road
victory of the season when it travels to McKale Center today to
take on the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats (16-7, 6-5 Pac-10).

Riding a five-game losing streak to the Arizona desert, the
Bruins (3-18, 2-8) find solace in the fact that the Wildcats are
one of the three teams they’ve defeated this year.

“We beat Arizona the first time around, and we feel that
if we attack them the same way we did the last time we played,
we’ll come out with a win,” said junior guard Michelle
Greco, who paces the Bruins and the rest of the Pac-10 in scoring
at 19.9 points per game.

Because the Bruins have been deficient of trips to the
winners’ circle this season, what is often disregarded is the
fact that they’ve been able to stage several second-half
comebacks during the conference schedule, only to fall just short
of victory. What is telling is the fact that the squad has
outscored its opposition 163-140 in the second period during its
current five-game skid.

“They play with the reckless abandon of a team that has
nothing to lose,” said USC head coach Chris Gobrecht, whose
team survived a second half scare to UCLA last Saturday. “You
can never count them out of a game because they’re always
liable to make a last-minute run. The fact that (UCLA) is last in
the conference really says a lot about the Pac-10.”

Since their loss to the Bruins, the then-20th-ranked Wildcats
have seen their share of misfortune, losing 4 of 6 games and
falling from first place in the Pac-10 into a tie for fourth with
Cal. Another loss to the Bruins might endanger the Wildcats’
hopes of making it to the NCAA tournament.

“After losing to us a first time, they’ll definitely
be out to get us this time around,” UCLA head coach Kathy
Olivier said.

A highly-anticipated matchup will be Arizona’s
conference-leading scoring offense versus UCLA’s porous
defense, which ranks last in the Pac-10. Junior forward Elizabeth
Pickney paces the Wildcats with 15.7 points per game, followed
closely by senior Reshea Bristol at 14.7 per game. Bristol also
leads the conference in assists (7.0) and steals (3.04).

Playing on the road, the Bruins will not only face the arduous
task of repeating the defensive performance that limited the
Wildcats to only 56 points in their last meeting, but they will
also be pressured to get the little things done on a level more
consistent than they’ve been able to manage most of this
season.

“We need to execute on our gimmees, like free-throws and
layups,” Greco said. “We can’t afford to make
simple mistakes on the road.

Also important for the Bruins will be whether sophomore forward
Kristee Porter and junior center Malika Leatham can stay out of
foul trouble. The tandem represents UCLA’s livelihood in the
rebounding department, and early foul trouble has often been a
problem for the two on the road this season. Early problems tonight
will likely spell disaster for the Bruins.

“We haven’t won on the road yet because of our
inexperience,” Olivier said. “I say that with 20 games
under our belt, so its not about experience anymore. It’s
about stepping up to the plate, and making strides toward getting
better for next year.”

How the Bruins fare against Arizona as well as their other games
down the season’s final stretch may prove especially telling
for next year’s implications.