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It took a full half before the No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins handled the No. 16 seed California Baptist Lancers in a way that we had expected but the Bruins did get it done. UCLA picked up a 96-43 win on Saturday to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Even though California Baptist ended up losing by 53 points, they gave the 32-1 Bruins plenty of problems in the first half.
“Those kinds of matchups are difficult for us. As big as we are, we couldn’t take advantage of it as much in the first half on offense,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said postgame. “Defensively it really spreads us out but I want to give them credit.”
The Lancers didn’t have a defender with the size to defend Lauren Betts or the other UCLA frontcourt players. Betts went an efficient 9-15 from the field, scoring 22 points with 10 rebounds. The Bruins' size off the bench excelled too, with Sienna Betts and Angela Dugalic both picking up double-doubles to begin the NCAA tournament.
Close said that the No. 1 thing on UCLA’s scouting report was limiting three-point attempts from the Lancers. The Bruins did not execute. California Baptist got up 30 attempts from three, they just weren’t able to connect on them, going just 6-30 from deep.
It obviously wasn’t costly for UCLA on Saturday but if the Bruins can’t execute their scouting reports, they’ll have trouble making a deep run this tournament. Close isn’t worried yet though, the Bruins defense held the Lancers to just nine points in the second half and move closer to matching the program record in wins for a second-straight season.
“I believe in our team. I love this team,” Close said. “This has been one of the most fun teams I’ve ever coached and it’s been one of the most hard-working teams I’ve ever coached.”
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: California Baptist provided a unique matchup for UCLA's mammoth size
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The first 20 minutes was not easy
Even though California Baptist ended up losing by 53 points, they gave the 32-1 Bruins plenty of problems in the first half.
Contrasting styles of basketball
“Those kinds of matchups are difficult for us. As big as we are, we couldn’t take advantage of it as much in the first half on offense,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said postgame. “Defensively it really spreads us out but I want to give them credit.”
UCLA's size advantage was noticeable
The Lancers didn’t have a defender with the size to defend Lauren Betts or the other UCLA frontcourt players. Betts went an efficient 9-15 from the field, scoring 22 points with 10 rebounds. The Bruins' size off the bench excelled too, with Sienna Betts and Angela Dugalic both picking up double-doubles to begin the NCAA tournament.
The Bruins allowed 30 attempts from deep
Close said that the No. 1 thing on UCLA’s scouting report was limiting three-point attempts from the Lancers. The Bruins did not execute. California Baptist got up 30 attempts from three, they just weren’t able to connect on them, going just 6-30 from deep.
Cori Close still believes in her team
It obviously wasn’t costly for UCLA on Saturday but if the Bruins can’t execute their scouting reports, they’ll have trouble making a deep run this tournament. Close isn’t worried yet though, the Bruins defense held the Lancers to just nine points in the second half and move closer to matching the program record in wins for a second-straight season.
“I believe in our team. I love this team,” Close said. “This has been one of the most fun teams I’ve ever coached and it’s been one of the most hard-working teams I’ve ever coached.”
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: California Baptist provided a unique matchup for UCLA's mammoth size
Continue reading...
