UCLA women need to fix slow-start issue during final homestand
The ninth-ranked Bruins started the season 16-0 but they have lost two of their last four and needed overtime to secure those two wins, with double-digit first-half deficits often part of the problem.
LOS ANGELES — The ninth-ranked UCLA women’s basketball team has lost to unranked teams just twice this season. The first came in a double-overtime thriller at rival USC on Jan. 17, while the second came last weekend at Washington.
Once again, UCLA opened a game unable to string together an effective run and fell behind by double digits in the first half. However, unlike their most recent come-from-behind wins, the Bruins couldn’t create enough momentum to dig out of the early hole against the Huskies. Washington, which led by as much as 14, never trailed on its way to the 74-68 upset of the Bruins.
“We didn’t play smart and engaged and I think part of that is letting it get in our own heads,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I’ve tried changing the lineup and (they’re) trying to take different shots. … Bottom line is we’ve got to have consistent focus and energy for 40 minutes.”
The Bruins (23-4 overall, 12-4 Pac-12) close their regular-season schedule this weekend with a final homestand against Colorado (16-11, 5-11) on Friday (8 p.m.) and Utah (13-14, 6-10) on Sunday (1 p.m.).
UCLA started the season 16-0 but has lost two of its last four and needed overtime to secure those two wins. With just a week before the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, the Bruins need to use these next two games to solve their sluggish-start issue before that dangerous habit follows the team into the postseason or costs the Bruins their third-place standing in the conference.
“I think some of the worries about (slow) starts or keeping track of the close standings and the ‘Oh my gosh, the Pac-12 is so good,’ all those things I think got us away from the mentality of ‘we fight with and for each other,’” Close said. “We lost our laser-sharp focus on that for a few weeks and we’ve got to get back to it.”
Colorado has won just two of its last eight games, however, the Buffaloes have held their own against some of the conference’s top talent and forced opponents to battle to the last possession.
The Buffaloes’ only overtime game in Pac-12 play was a 76-68 loss at then-No. 6 Stanford on Jan. 24. In their second meeting with the Cardinal, three weeks later, the Buffaloes lost 69-66. Colorado’s most recent win is a 50-38 upset victory over then-No. 11 Arizona on Monday.
Despite its record, Colorado finds itself on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s Charlie Creme’s Bracketology. Junior guard Mya Hollingshed leads the Buffaloes with averages of 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
“We have to come out with the emotion and we have to understand what they’re playing for,” Close said. “We’ve got to play strong. We’ve got to make them chase us. But I guarantee you they’re coming for blood and they’re confident right now.”
Last Time: The Bruins first met the Buffaloes this season on Jan. 12 in Boulder. UCLA led by as much as 25 before Colorado challenged the lead and whittled the margin to two with a fourth-quarter surge. A last-second 3-point attempt from Colorado missed, allowing the Bruins to escape with a 65-62 victory.
Notable: UCLA freshman guard Charisma Osborne was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Monday after averaging 25.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest over the Bruins’ three games last week. On Feb. 17, in an overtime win against Oregon State, she scored a career-high 22 points, only to better it five days later with a 32-point and 11-rebound performance in a win at Washington State.
—– No. 9 UCLA (23-4, 12-4) VS. COLORADO (16-11, 5-11) —–
When: Friday, 8 p.m.
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV: Pac-12 Networks