UCLA takes on Hawaii in NCAA women’s opener

UCLA’s home court at Pauley Pavilion is the site of first- and second-round games in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, and the Bruins face a sobering reality as they open play against Hawaii on Saturday:

Holding their home advantage by winning twice would mean they would move on to the Bridgeport (Conn.) Regional next week — and they would have advanced further than any UCLA women’s team since 1999.

“We all know that, and I want them to enjoy that they have a great opportunity,” UCLA Coach Cori Close said of her players. “That’s what they came here to do, is to do things that hadn’t been done here before, and they’ve already done a lot of them.”

Close is speak of UCLA’s recent successes: It won the WNIT last year and got to the Pac-12 tournament title game this season. But making a splash would entail at least matching its finish from 1999, when the Bruins reached an NCAA regional final.

This season, UCLA (24-8) relies heavily on its backcourt, which features sophomore Jordin Canada (16.1 points per game) and senior Nirra Fields (15.7 points per game).

“Postseason is one and done, so it doesn’t take much for us to really get riled up for this,” Fields said. “Especially with me being a senior, this is my last go. So I think just me alone having that energy and having that intensity, I think that will rub off on my teammates.”

Hawaii (21-10) might have a trace of a hometown advantage too. Its leading scorer, senior Destiny King, is from Long Beach, and she spoke Friday about how exciting it is to be playing in front of friends and family.

Rainbow Wahine Coach Laura Beeman also has strong Southern California roots — she was a longtime coach at Mt. San Antonio College, then an assistant for the Sparks and USC. Hawaii also just played in the Southland, winning the Big West tournament at the Honda Center.

“We’re 12-3 on the road, so we’re confident when we hit the road,” Beeman said. “We’re definitely familiar with LAX and the 405 traffic. But yeah, being here a week ago in the Big West tournament is definitely something that keeps it familiar for our girls. Home-court advantage, you can make it what you want.”

Close and her UCLA players cited defense and rebounding as the keys to holding off the Rainbow Wahine. For that, they’ll count on sophomore Monique Billings, who is averaging a team-high 8.0 rebounds and leads the Bruins with 48 blocks.

Senior forward Kacy Swain, a starter who has missed the last five games because of a knee injury, would also provide a lift on the defensive end, but her availability was not disclosed. Close said she was “really liking” Swain’s progress, but added that the senior forward’s status for the first round is “up in the air.”

If Swain can’t start, UCLA will probably begin with a lineup of Canada, Kari Korver, Fields, Lajahna Drummer and Billings.

“They have our attention,” Close said of her opponent. “They will be ready. They’re a confident bunch, they’re a veteran group, but I feel very prepared.”

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