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Wednesday, December 3, 1997

Bruins to battle Toreros for shot at first victory

W. BASKETBALL:

Adjustments in play necessary to prevent fatal 0-4 beginning of seasonBy Anthony CinQue Carter

Daily Bruin Contributor

The UCLA women's basketball team looks to do an about-face this weekend as they take on the University of San Diego. With a 0-3 record to start off the season, the Bruins would love to notch their first victory.

The good news for the Bruins this year is that they have regained the services of 1996 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Erica Gomez, who was out last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Up to this point, Gomez has not contributed as expected; she turned an ankle in the Bruins' second game, preventing her from finishing, and was limited to only four minutes in the third game.

"If Erica is ready to play on Friday, she will definitely start. She makes everyone so much more comfortable out there," head coach Kathy Olivier said.

If Gomez does return to the starting lineup, Olivier will be forced to deal with a problem that most coaches in the country would love to deal with. Having a talent-laden bench doesn't seem to do anything but make Olivier smile.

"We have a team that is very productive on each side ... The people coming off the bench are doing a great job," Olivier said.

That is an understatement. In Sunday's game versus Notre Dame, the three sophomores ­ Janae Hubbard, Marie Philman and Melanie Pearson ­ combined for 57 of UCLA's 91 points.

Against George Washington, Hubbard, and Philman combined for 23 of the team's 73 points.

"We have a lot of people that can contribute on any given night," Olivier said. "We just need to find more consistency."

So the Bruins will continue their search for consistency against a 1-3 Torero team. A 0-4 start would be beyond disastrous for a team that has North Carolina, Duke and Seton Hall on the horizon.

The difference between this contest and the contest with St. Mary's ­ the team that handed the Bruins their first loss of the season ­ is homecourt advantage. However, the Bruins have been hard-pressed to pull fans into the stands, averaging about 750 over the weekend.

However, if the Toreros get hot like the Gaels of St. Mary's did, no amount of fan support will help the Bruins if they don't learn to adjust. The Gaels unleashed 14 three-pointers on the Bruins, who stayed in a zone defense for most of the game, and could not rotate in time to block the Gaels' shots. Adjustment will be the key in a game which could set the tone for the rest of the Bruins' season.

The Bruins better shape up now because the next time they will have it this easy will be against Rutgers, the only team in the next five Bruin games that finished under .500 last season.

Friday night in Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins' season could be on the line.

CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin

Maylana Martin shoots the ball over a Notre Dame guard in the Bruins' loss on Sunday.

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