If these Ducks actually played with wings, they would've left quite a feather-storm today at the John Wooden Center.
After handling Oregon State on Thursday, UCLA was simply swept off the floor against Oregon, the frenetic, quick-footed Ducks defeating the Bruins 83-62. Some musings from the game:
The Ducks can score, and can score quickly
Truthfully, Oregon's offense proved to be too much from the get-go. By the end of the first half, the Ducks were on pace to score in the 100's, taking a 52-23 lead into halftime. Too often, Oregon would get a shot off just about 10 seconds into the shot clock, with the Bruins still pedaling into their defensive positions. If it wasn't Jasmin Holliday (21 points) and Danielle Love (16) draining quick jumpers from the perimeter, Oregon had Liz Brenner (15) muscling her way in the post.
"We allowed it to be a blitz," coach Cori Close said. "We sent three people to the ball and reached, or we let them get offensive rebounds so that we had to play defense for 70-80 seconds. As fast as they were, we knew we had to play transition defense and out-rebound them. The reality is that we didn't play the way we needed to, which fed exactly into the way Oregon wanted to play."
A Perimeter-Oriented Game
Save the efforts of Brenner, this was a contest mostly powered from the perimeter. And it was only natural, as both teams relied heavily on zone defense. The difference, however, was that when UCLA went zone, the Ducks - as active and mobile as they were - would find the open shooter (10-for-27 from beyond the arc), but when Oregon showed zone, the Bruins struggled to find a decent look at the basket, often using all of the shot clock to get a shot off.
And even when the Ducks misfired, they chased down the offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities. Overall, the Ducks scored 27 second-chance points, in addition to 20 points off of turnovers.
Extended Minutes for Brooks
Chalk it to the need for breathers against Oregon's high-octane, fast-paced offense, the advantages that come with having a shooter on the floor, or simply a coach's whim, but this was the first game in which freshman walk-on Madeline Brooks played extended minutes. And she wasn't too shabby, either. Defensively, Brooks held her own, staying in front of her player and making the necessary rotations. That, and she scored her first career three-pointer, a spot-up trey off of an assist from Rebekah Gardner, who had a game-high 22 points.
"I'm thankful for Madeline; she's the first one in the gym and she gets here two hours before the game so she can get extra shots up when no one else is here," Close said. "She may not have the tools as some of our other players, but she's maximizing what she can contribute for her team. The fact of the matter is, she earned her minutes."
One other item of news to note: Kacy Swain went down in a heap in the second half after being hit in the head, and her status is a day-to-day situation.
After handling Oregon State on Thursday, UCLA was simply swept off the floor against Oregon, the frenetic, quick-footed Ducks defeating the Bruins 83-62. Some musings from the game:
The Ducks can score, and can score quickly
Truthfully, Oregon's offense proved to be too much from the get-go. By the end of the first half, the Ducks were on pace to score in the 100's, taking a 52-23 lead into halftime. Too often, Oregon would get a shot off just about 10 seconds into the shot clock, with the Bruins still pedaling into their defensive positions. If it wasn't Jasmin Holliday (21 points) and Danielle Love (16) draining quick jumpers from the perimeter, Oregon had Liz Brenner (15) muscling her way in the post.
"We allowed it to be a blitz," coach Cori Close said. "We sent three people to the ball and reached, or we let them get offensive rebounds so that we had to play defense for 70-80 seconds. As fast as they were, we knew we had to play transition defense and out-rebound them. The reality is that we didn't play the way we needed to, which fed exactly into the way Oregon wanted to play."
A Perimeter-Oriented Game
Save the efforts of Brenner, this was a contest mostly powered from the perimeter. And it was only natural, as both teams relied heavily on zone defense. The difference, however, was that when UCLA went zone, the Ducks - as active and mobile as they were - would find the open shooter (10-for-27 from beyond the arc), but when Oregon showed zone, the Bruins struggled to find a decent look at the basket, often using all of the shot clock to get a shot off.
And even when the Ducks misfired, they chased down the offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities. Overall, the Ducks scored 27 second-chance points, in addition to 20 points off of turnovers.
Extended Minutes for Brooks
Chalk it to the need for breathers against Oregon's high-octane, fast-paced offense, the advantages that come with having a shooter on the floor, or simply a coach's whim, but this was the first game in which freshman walk-on Madeline Brooks played extended minutes. And she wasn't too shabby, either. Defensively, Brooks held her own, staying in front of her player and making the necessary rotations. That, and she scored her first career three-pointer, a spot-up trey off of an assist from Rebekah Gardner, who had a game-high 22 points.
"I'm thankful for Madeline; she's the first one in the gym and she gets here two hours before the game so she can get extra shots up when no one else is here," Close said. "She may not have the tools as some of our other players, but she's maximizing what she can contribute for her team. The fact of the matter is, she earned her minutes."
One other item of news to note: Kacy Swain went down in a heap in the second half after being hit in the head, and her status is a day-to-day situation.
