Women's Basketball PREVIEW vs. Saturday 1 p.m. Boulder, Colorado TV-Fox Sports Net Radio-850 AM www.uclabruins.com
By Scott Schultz
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA women’s basketball team heads into Boulder this weekend looking for a fresh start to a season which has so far been tempered by the frustrations and growing pains of an inexperienced squad that is playing one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
The Bruins (0-5), who are mired in the slowest start of their program’s history, went into the summer knowing they would face the difficult task of replacing four of last year’s starters, as well as their backup center.
Furthermore, they found out in September that they would be playing without two of this year’s projected starters, LaCresha Flannigan, who is academically ineligible, and Nicole Kaczmarski, who is out with an injury at least until winter quarter.
“We have a lot of new players, and it’s taken a while to adjust,” junior guard Michelle Greco said. “Each game and practice we’ve gotten better, and now it’s time to get a victory.”
The Bruins are led on the floor by Greco (18.4 ppg), the only current Bruin who has logged any significant playing time prior to this year.
The rest of the lineup consists of freshmen, sophomores and junior transfers who are learning to gel as a team while learning the rigors of playing at the Division I level. Opening the season with a non-conference schedule that includes seven teams that played in the NCAA tournament last season has made matters more difficult.
“Sure, we would like to put a few cupcakes on our schedule to get a few easy wins and give the players a little confidence,” head coach Kathy Olivier said. “The reality is we don’t do that at UCLA.”
Although Colorado (4-0) is not one of the seven tournament teams on UCLA’s non-conference schedule, they definitely can’t be considered a breather. They are a very formidable team with several returning starters from last year’s squad.
“They’re not overly quick athletes, but they’re very strong, very sound and well-coached,” Olivier said.
The Buffaloes have opened their season with a four-game winning streak, led by six-foot-five center freshman Tera Bjorklund, who averaged 15 points a game while averaging only 19 minutes a game. Recently she scored 28 points in 25 minutes at Wyoming.
They have an effective perimeter game as well, led by junior Mandy Nightingale (13.5 ppg) and junior Jenny Roulier (.533 three-point percentage). Colorado as a team averages more than 88 points per game and more than 42 rebounds per game.
The Bruins have to contain the Buffaloes’ high-powered offense, while raising their own offense above its 53.6 scoring average.
UCLA also needs more of a presence on its front line, where it has been consistently beaten on the boards this season.
“I am going to get out front and box out. That will be my job,” junior Shalada Allen said. “We’ve been working on it in practice and now it’s time to do it in games.”