• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

  KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Junior guard Jalina Bradley slashes to the basket against BYU Tuesday night.

By Jackie Abellada

Daily Bruin Contributor

No one would expect it from a team that is playing pretty well of late.

But shouts of frustration during practices quickly replace the shouts of joy following the victories of the women’s basketball squad.

Head coach Kathy Olivier has been pushing her players to work harder and run faster in practice in order for them to simulate the feel of an entire game.

Last year, the Bruins appeared to run out of gas during the waning moments of the games. Consequently, the squad lost several games it could have won if it had played all 40 minutes.

“Last year, we would hang in the first half against our opponents, but we folded in the second,” senior forward Michelle Greco said. “I think we are mentally stronger this year. We are able to put the two halves together and that is why we have been winning these games.”

If there is anything these women are known for, it is their quickness. So it comes as no surprise that hustling up and down the floor is a key component to the Bruins’ squad.

“It’s been very hard,” freshman guard Brianna Winn said. “You just don’t ever stop running or Coach Olivier gets mad.”

The Bruins (3-1) must now test their endurance as they head on over to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Utes (2-2) this Saturday.

In last season’s match-up, the UCLA squad was only down by a mere basket going into the locker room at the half. But the second half seemed like an entirely different game, as the Utes outscored the Bruins by 21 points. Rather than a close game, it was a huge blowout.

This year, Olivier has tried to make sure that these kind of letdowns do not happen again. She has been hounding her players to maintain intensity during practices so that they will be able to endure during actual games.

And it appears to be working. In the last two home games, the squad has been able to make a series of surges in the second half to overcome first-half margins and eventually win.

Now the Bruins must see if they can have the same results in an away game against a team that had a tremendous season last year, making it into the Sweet 16 and boasting the best record (28-4) in school history.

“Utah is a very good basketball team. They’re smart, disciplined and well-coached,” Olivier said. “We need to go in and not make many mistakes and hopefully come out with a ‘W.’”

The Bruins are far from being overconfident. The players hope to come into the game both mentally and physically prepared for their opponents – not only to show their coach, but also to show themselves that they can play for a full 40 minutes.

Comments

Post a comment