Women’s basketball to host Cal State Northridge in home game

After a week off, the Bruins will continue their season with a two-game homestand.

No. 20 UCLA women’s basketball (1-0) will host Cal State Northridge (1-1) on Thursday evening at Pauley Pavilion before welcoming Virginia (0-2) to Westwood on Sunday. The Bruins are coming off a 78-69 victory against Pepperdine in their season opener on Nov. 10.

Despite having a win to begin the year, coach Cori Close said she was dissatisfied with the Bruins’ performance and effort.

“Experience happens either way, but learning from that experience is optional,” Close said. “You’ve got to go grab it, and I think some people have done a really good job. You’ll see that when we play against CSUN.”

Despite taking advantage of the transfer portal in the offseason to add four more players to the roster, the Bruins had just seven active players against the Waves.

Redshirt freshman forward Izzy Anstey, one of three players to don the blue and gold for the first time, also said her team’s performance on opening night was far from where the Bruins wanted to be.

“We need to get better,” Anstey said. “We’ve had injuries, we’ve had all these circumstances that obviously aren’t ideal, but we need to get better and shine a light on the things that we need to work on. … We’ll get there, but it’s not there yet.”

However, Close noted the growth and the competitive spirit Anstey and redshirt senior guard Kayla Owens displayed as two of the positive takeaways from the contest.

“I would say (Owens) and Izzy were my two greatest joys from the first game – some of the rebounds that Kayla got, and what she showed about how far she had come in her growth, and how hard Izzy played, and how competitive she is,” Close said.

In her return to Pauley Pavilion after opting out of the 2020-2021 season, Owens played 20 minutes as a starter and contributed three rebounds and one steal until foul trouble limited her action on the court.

The redshirt senior guard said she has been focusing on maximizing her impact on defense this year, while filling in the intangibles for her squad.

“My role has been to bring the energy defensively,” Owens said. “If we feel like we’re in a drought and we need a stop, I’m usually the one to try to bring the team up or get that rebound that we need. Coach Close gives me the confidence to go out there and stop the best player.”

CSUN opted out of the 2020-2021 season, so Thursday’s contest will be its third matchup in the past 20 months. The Matadors were held to 44 points in a loss to Arizona last week but rebounded with a 72-67 win against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Monday.

Virginia, UCLA’s opponent for Sunday’s home contest, also experienced the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cavaliers’ 2020-2021 season was cut short after five games because of health and safety concerns, making their season opener last week their first official game in 331 days. The team is still looking for its first win since returning to the court, after losing to both James Madison and USC.

The Bruins will take to the court against the Matadors at 7 p.m. on Thursday before facing the Cavaliers at 3 p.m. on Sunday.