UCLA’s efforts fail to yield desired result

  JANA SUMMERS Jalina Bradley waits for an
opening to make a layup between Arizona State defenders Thursday.
ASU 70 UCLA 57

By Jackie Abellada
Daily Bruin Contributor

The Bruins did what they were supposed to do ““ come out
strong.

But a good start was not enough to overcome the No. 23 team in
the nation.

The UCLA women’s basketball team suffered a 70-57 loss at
the hands of Arizona State last night at Pauley Pavilion.

No one can say that the Bruins lacked the energy early in the
game this time.

“Our intensity was great,” said Bruins’ head
coach Kathy Olivier “We talked about just having a lot of
energy in the first half, and they responded.”

In the first half, the Bruins held their opponents to only 30
points. However, UCLA was still down by nine points at
intermission.

It was the Bruin defense that kept the score close as they
stopped almost any pass going into the post. As a result, the Sun
Devils were unable to get their inside game going and were forced
to settle for outside shots.

“The Bruins did a good job clogging up the paint,”
Sun Devils head coach Charli Turner Thorne said.
“They’re always trying to get steals, and they do what
we do ““ make you rush a little bit.”

Melody Johnson, Arizona State’s star center, looked
frustrated in the beginning of the game as she saw a series of
double-teams whenever there was any indication of the ball coming
her way. Johnson was held to a mere four points and played only 12
minutes in the first half. She finished the game with 10
points.

Bruin forward Jamila Veasley played a large role in the
suffocating defense, snatching a career-high five steals.

“I knew I had to be active,” Veasley said.
“Going into the game we knew we had to pick it up. So I just
took charge of it and picked it up.”

The Bruins were also successful holding Amanda Levens, the
Pac-10’s leading scorer, to just four baskets on 10 attempts.
She finished the night with only 11 points.

But, the Sun Devils (15-4, 6-2 Pac-10) were just too much for
the Bruins. ASU illustrated just why it is a nationally ranked
program.

In the second half, the Sun Devils shot an incendiary 80 percent
from the field, missing only four field goals.

And, every time the Bruins looked like they were going to make a
run, it appeared that the Sun Devils had an answer.

“There’s a reason why ASU is ranked in the Top 25.
They’re a good basketball team,” Olivier said. “I
thought they came out with some big shots at crucial
times.”

UCLA’s Whitney Jones led all scorers with 15 points.
Malika Leatham also chipped in 10.

With the loss, the Bruins (5-10, 2-6) have yet to win at Pauley
in Pac-10 competition. They will have another opportunity to change
that when they host Arizona (8-9, 4-4) tomorrow at 4 p.m.