UCLA ties school record for best start with win over USC
The Bruins defeated their crosstown rivals in their Pac-12 conference opener
The UCLA Bruins matched the best start in school history at 12-0 with an 83-59 win Sunday afternoon over crosstown rival USC. The Bruins came into the game ranked No.10 in the country, one of four other Pac-12 teams (Oregon State, Oregon, and Stanford) in the top 10.
The Bruins previously started 12-0 to open the 1980-81 season.
It was the Pac-12 opener for both teams in a conference that has been very good to start this season. Along with Oregon State (12-0), Arizona (12-0), and Colorado (12-0), the Bruins are one of four teams in the conference to be among the nine remaining undefeated teams in the country.
UCLA was powered by junior forward Michaela Onyenwere and senior guard Japreece Dean. Onyenwere finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, including 13 in the first quarter to set the tone. Dean had 21 points of her own and eight assists.
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Following a lackluster finish to the first half that saw the Trojans cut a double-digit deficit down to eight, UCLA head coach Cori Close mentioned that she challenged Dean to settle the team down and regain control to start the second half.
“I just believe in her so much, I know who she wants to become as a leader,” Close said after the game. “I really challenged her in terms of getting us better shots, better awareness of who’s hot, shot selection, but mostly I challenged her in terms of our emotional focus. I know who she wants to become not only in a UCLA uniform, but also as a pro.”
The Bruins came out of the half a little bit slow as the Trojans went on a quick run to cut a 34-23 halftime deficit to 38-31. UCLA would respond with an 11-0 run to push their lead to 18, and never look back from that point on.
Onyenwere credited Close’s motivation during a timeout as being a major factor in getting the Bruins back on track and keeping their minds focused on closing out the game early. It was on the defensive end of the floor where UCLA was able to separate themselves.
“After that, we got three straight stops,” Onyenwere said after the game. “We got back to our defensive intensity, caused them to turn the ball over, and get stops. We weren’t as focused as we could have been, and during the timeout we turned it around.”
Despite the loss, USC head coach Mark Trakh saw some positives that his team could take away as conference play is now underway. Freshman Alissa Pili had a strong game of her own with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Other young players such as Angel Jackson and Endyia Rogers also showed flashes here and there.
Trakh believes that his young core is going to be key, and the experiences they’re going through now are going to be crucial for their development.
“This was a speed they hadn’t seen all year, now they have, now they know,” Trakh said after the game. “That’s what I always tell them, that the speed of the game is what’s going to be different from when they played in high school a year ago. Our freshman are more talented than what they showed tonight. It’s just going to take some time.”
The Bruins will be back in action on Friday night against the Arizona State Sun Devils while the Trojans will host the Arizona Wildcats.
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