Guard Doreena Campbell helps Bruins mount comeback, win over Arizona
By Kendall Salter
Jan. 1, 2010 1:44 p.m.
This is what UCLA has come to expect of Doreena Campbell.
The sweet-shooting guard caught fire in the second half, and for the UCLA women’s basketball team, it couldn’t come any sooner. With the second-team all-Pac-10 performer starting to sink her shots, the Bruin offense got rolling, storming back for a 67-58 win at Arizona on Friday afternoon.
It was a great way to start the new year and conference play. Coach Nikki Caldwell knows that walking out of Tucson with a crucial road victory is a huge step in the right direction for a program that has struggled away from Pauley Pavilion in recent seasons.
“When you’re on the road, you have to be able to rely on something other than your shots,” Caldwell said. “Hopefully we can take this fight and play that way for 40 minutes.”
It was a strange game, one of extended runs and wide swings in momentum. It appeared that UCLA came out with a sense of urgency, scoring the first seven points of the contest to take early control. But that’s when it all went wrong, as the home Wildcats tore off a 19-0 run. Suddenly the Bruins were the ones playing catch-up.
“I think the tempo of the team picked up as a team,” Campbell said. “It helped me feed off of that intensity, and we picked up our effort.”
From that point, the Bruins struggled to regain their confidence, shooting poorly and missing opportunities for much of the first half. A late flurry closed the deficit to five at the half. With UCLA fighting for points against the tough defense of Arizona, Campbell took over, leading the Bruins on a steady comeback effort.
With 8:44 remaining in the game, a layup by Arizona’s Davellyn Whyte gave the Wildcats a 43-39 lead. Then the Bruins began their second large run of the game, reeling off 12 straight points to turn the tables on their opponents. A 3-point basket by freshman Markel Walker gave the Bruins a one-point advantage, and they would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
Campbell scored a season high 20 points, 16 of them in the second half. Her two shots from behind the arc helped hold off a late Arizona push, and the Bruins escaped with a hard-fought victory.
“Those last three of four shots were key,” Campbell said. “Unfortunately we almost gave it away because we were giving them the same shots.”
The Bruins shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half as they converted on the same opportunities they missed in the opening 20 minutes. They key was the ball handling and savvy of the two veteran guards, Campbell and junior Darxia Morris. After turning the ball over 10 times in the first half, UCLA controlled the ball more effectively, turning it over just four times.
“We had great guard play in the second half, especially with Darxia and Doreena,” Caldwell said. “I told them that we need quality possessions. We were more patient within our offense. Campbell had some really good looks at the basket, and her teammates did a good job of finding her.”
Once again, the depth of the Bruin bench paid off. While the Wildcats substituted sparingly, playing only seven people for the game, UCLA had nine players see action. Eight of them played for at least 13 minutes. This advantage paid dividends late in the second half as a more fresh UCLA team took control of the game.
“The depth gives us an opportunity to rest our starters. Christina (Nzekwe) came off the bench, gave us quality effort, and (Mariah) Williams really pushed the tempo for us. It helps to have a bench because we’ve been in foul trouble. Their job is to either get us a lead or hold the lead,” Caldwell said.
The UCLA defense, which has improved in recent games, also gave Caldwell something to be proud of.
“They really committed to our defensive philosophy,” Caldwell said. “We can’t wait to have that sense of urgency until we’re down. We need that from the start.”
UCLA plays Sunday against Arizona State. The Sun Devils lost to USC in their conference opener.
