After a draining loss to Stanford last Saturday, a trip to Southern California to face UCLA (12-6, 5-2) wasn’t exactly the remedy the women’s basketball team had in mind. Still, the Ducks are hungry for the taste of a win, no matter whom they have to play.
“Right now, we’re just kind of in a ‘get a win’ mode,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “I don’t think we care right now who we’re playing, we just have to go out and play well.”
It will take Oregon’s best effort to defeat a UCLA team that is fresh off a sweep on the road in Washington. The Bruins’ 5-2 record in the Pacific-10 Conference is good for third place, and much of their success is predicated on a suffocating defense that gives up just 55.8 points per game.
Given that Oregon leads the nation in scoring offense (85.6 points per game), the matchup will showcase an interesting contrast in styles. The one thing UCLA has in common with the Ducks is its full court press system.
“They’re a very aggressive team,” Westhead said. “They trap a lot, they blitz teams, they take teams out of their half court offense. The question is, will they catch us in the half court offense enough to do their magic?”
There is no doubt that, despite UCLA’s defensive prowess, the Ducks intend to dictate the game with their own fast paced offense and stifling press. As Westhead has proven throughout the year, his teams do not back down.
“We don’t usually worry too much about the other team,” junior forward Nicole Canepa said. “It’s just us, and how we get up in them, press them. Usually teams hate pressure, so I’m sure they’re a little bit worried about our press.”
Further complicating things, however, is the fact that UCLA has proven to be a multi-faceted team with the ability to utilize many different styles of play.
“It’s interesting how they’re going to decide to play us,” Westhead said. “If they play us quick and fast, they certainly could create a pace for us that we like … on the other hand, they might want to keep the score down and play in the fifties, which they have done
to opponents.”
If the Bruins decide to slow the game down, it could spell trouble for the Ducks. Last Thursday’s game against California proved that Oregon is vulnerable to teams
with physicality.
Yet, Westhead and the Ducks feel the California game is firmly in the past. If nothing else, last Saturday’s loss to Stanford proved that Oregon is still a potent offensive force and can keep with just about any team.
“I think (the Stanford game) kind of brought us back up, especially after the California game,” senior guard Taylor Lilley said. “We were able to change some things, and just the way we came out right from the get-go, that really set a standard for how we should play
every game now.”
The Bruins are led by sophomore Jasmine Dixon. The guard, who transferred this year from Rutgers, is averaging a team best 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Freshman forward Markel Walker is also off to a strong start, tallying 10.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Erica Tukiainen and junior guard Doreena Campbell are tied for the Pac-10 lead in three-point percentage (.462).
It is a deep and talented team, to be sure. Still, the Ducks are confident that they can end their four-game losing streak in hostile territory.
“We feel like it will be a very interesting game, a very fun game,” Canepa said. “We’re definitely ready for it.”
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