She may not don a bizarre mask or have a spandex costume secretly stashed away in a beaten-up trash bin near you, but Markel Walker was something of a heroine tonight, catalyzing the Bruins to a 69-60 win over the Oregon State Beavers at the John Wooden Center.
It was an overall satisfactory night for a Bruin team that has increasingly shown throughout the course of the season that its strength is its transition game. At times, the pace of the game sputtered, but UCLA got off to the races when needed, thanks in large part to Walker's efforts. Here are some quick post-game pointers:
Back on Boards
After being out-rebounded by USC 48-40 this past Saturday, UCLA did a thorough job of dominating the glass against Oregon State, owning a 47-31 advantage on the boards. Coach Cori Close has been adamant that it is the hunger for gobbling up rebounds that will drive this team, and tonight was a stellar showing in that regards.
"I want this team to feel how much more fun it is to get out in transition, but you have to scratch and claw on the defensive boards in order to have those opportunities," Close said. "I want us to continue to fight for those rebounds because it feeds into the way we play best, especially when we're playing with a four-guard lineup."
Walker was undoubtedly the best at putting said theory to use. Whether it was seizing second-chance opportunities or reeling in missed Oregon State shots, the third-year guard/forward did her best to channel her inner Kevin Love, amassing a total of 18 rebounds by game's end. And speaking of which...
Moves Like Walker
The honest truth is that no pop song has yet to be named after her, but the coaching staff had to have been beaming (maybe slightly grooving discreetly) to Walker's all-around performance tonight. She may not have been the most efficient shooting (5-for-15 from the field) and did have some slip-ups (five turnovers), but it was the timeliness of her play that largely dictated the results.
Besides the rebounding, Walker got on a roll in the assists department, heaving outlet passes left and right. The highlight came with 11:40 left in the game, when Walker snared a defensive rebound and promptly hurled the ball the full length of the court to a breaking Rebekah Gardner for the easy layup.
"I like playing with her, because she finds me," Gardner casually admitted with a smile, before pausing. "She finds all of us actually, so it's fun playing with Markel."
There were also multiple possessions where Walker played out of the post. And while playing from that position isn't exactly her first preference, she did show flashes of effectiveness with her back to the basket.
"Playing from the post lets me see the court," Walker said. "Instead of facing up and facing the defender, I can see everything, so I can make the skip pass, the pass in front of me, or attack the basket."
Walker simply was the do-it-all cog to the Bruins' victory, finishing the game one assist shy of a triple double with 16 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and a block.
A Pretty Transition Game
It bears no repeating, but the Bruins were just too much for the Beavers whenever they got out on the run. And it wasn't just Walker, Gardner (19 points), and Thea Lemberger (9), either. Mariah Williams, Rhema Gardner, and Corinne Costa all contributed, scoring key baskets in transition as well. It was, to put it shortly, a brand of basketball that Close called "pretty."
"As a coach, you think about how many fastbreaks happen with one dribble or none at all," Close said. "When we can use our legs to create angles and hit passes without having to put the ball on the ground, that's really pretty, and it shows a lot of growth in our teamwork."
It was an overall satisfactory night for a Bruin team that has increasingly shown throughout the course of the season that its strength is its transition game. At times, the pace of the game sputtered, but UCLA got off to the races when needed, thanks in large part to Walker's efforts. Here are some quick post-game pointers:
Back on Boards
After being out-rebounded by USC 48-40 this past Saturday, UCLA did a thorough job of dominating the glass against Oregon State, owning a 47-31 advantage on the boards. Coach Cori Close has been adamant that it is the hunger for gobbling up rebounds that will drive this team, and tonight was a stellar showing in that regards.
"I want this team to feel how much more fun it is to get out in transition, but you have to scratch and claw on the defensive boards in order to have those opportunities," Close said. "I want us to continue to fight for those rebounds because it feeds into the way we play best, especially when we're playing with a four-guard lineup."
Walker was undoubtedly the best at putting said theory to use. Whether it was seizing second-chance opportunities or reeling in missed Oregon State shots, the third-year guard/forward did her best to channel her inner Kevin Love, amassing a total of 18 rebounds by game's end. And speaking of which...
Moves Like Walker
The honest truth is that no pop song has yet to be named after her, but the coaching staff had to have been beaming (maybe slightly grooving discreetly) to Walker's all-around performance tonight. She may not have been the most efficient shooting (5-for-15 from the field) and did have some slip-ups (five turnovers), but it was the timeliness of her play that largely dictated the results.
Besides the rebounding, Walker got on a roll in the assists department, heaving outlet passes left and right. The highlight came with 11:40 left in the game, when Walker snared a defensive rebound and promptly hurled the ball the full length of the court to a breaking Rebekah Gardner for the easy layup.
"I like playing with her, because she finds me," Gardner casually admitted with a smile, before pausing. "She finds all of us actually, so it's fun playing with Markel."
There were also multiple possessions where Walker played out of the post. And while playing from that position isn't exactly her first preference, she did show flashes of effectiveness with her back to the basket.
"Playing from the post lets me see the court," Walker said. "Instead of facing up and facing the defender, I can see everything, so I can make the skip pass, the pass in front of me, or attack the basket."
Walker simply was the do-it-all cog to the Bruins' victory, finishing the game one assist shy of a triple double with 16 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and a block.
A Pretty Transition Game
It bears no repeating, but the Bruins were just too much for the Beavers whenever they got out on the run. And it wasn't just Walker, Gardner (19 points), and Thea Lemberger (9), either. Mariah Williams, Rhema Gardner, and Corinne Costa all contributed, scoring key baskets in transition as well. It was, to put it shortly, a brand of basketball that Close called "pretty."
"As a coach, you think about how many fastbreaks happen with one dribble or none at all," Close said. "When we can use our legs to create angles and hit passes without having to put the ball on the ground, that's really pretty, and it shows a lot of growth in our teamwork."
