Sun Devils to host women’s basketball team

Before last Sunday’s rivalry game with the USC Trojans, UCLA women’s basketball coach Nikki Caldwell pondered the Bruins’ (then 1-1) record within the Pac-10 Conference. With one eye on the future, she forecasted the importance of a victory over USC, especially with a tough road trip on the docket.

“3-2 in the Pac-10 sounds a lot better than 2-3,” Caldwell said.

As it stands now, UCLA sits at 2-1 in the conference after pulling out a key home victory against USC. A true test of their mettle will begin today when the Bruins travel to Tempe, Ariz. to face the powerful Arizona State Sun Devils in their first road test of the conference season.

The Bruins will face an uphill battle against recent history on Thursday morning in the desert. Wells Fargo Arena has not been a welcoming environment for UCLA in the past. The Sun Devils have won the last five meetings between the teams, and have won five in a row in Tempe. Snapping this streak will mean breaking a season-long pattern of road struggles. Two of UCLA’s three losses came away from home, against Maryland and Texas Tech. This game, according to Caldwell, will be a barometer of her team’s progress.

“I think that anytime you get into Pac-10 play and you’re on the road, you want to make sure that you do everything you can to prepare them,” Caldwell said. “This will be a great indication of how we’re doing.”

Arizona State comes into the matchup with a 10-6 record, as well as a 2-2 mark in the conference. The Sun Devils dropped a pair of close contests against the Bay Area schools, losing by three to perennial power Stanford and by one to California. Those results showed that while not yet up to the standard of the conference elite, the Sun Devils will be a powerful force to be reckoned with as the season wears on. Thursday’s game will provide a chance for UCLA to take another step ahead of ASU in the conference standings.

“They really have a nice ball club,” Caldwell said of Arizona State. “They have a great balanced attack.”

With the road trip ahead of them, the Bruins will be looking to bring an increased level of intensity in their play in order to combat the hazards of playing away from home. The crowd on Thursday will be a hostile one, as the game will be part of Arizona State’s “Sparky’s Kids to College Field Trip Day,” which will place nearly 6,000 more fans in the seats for the game. Intensity and defense were a point of focus for Caldwell at practice this week.

“You have to realize what their strengths are, and take them out of their pattern,” Caldwell said.