UCLA Tries to Regain Edge; USC Has Big Question Mark

One team seems to lack a sense of unity or purpose; the other needs one player to run a mile and a half in 11 minutes.

That’s the situation for the UCLA and USC women’s basketball teams as they open Pacific 10 Conference play tonight. UCLA (6-4) meets Washington (4-8) at Pauley Pavilion, and USC (5-5) meets Washington State (3-7) at Lyon Center.

UCLA, a heavy preseason favorite to win the conference title, so far hasn’t looked up to the challenge. The team that won its first nine Pac-10 games a year ago and had five returning starters lost big in nonconference games to Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Rutgers and Connecticut, tumbling from fourth to 17th in the Associated Press poll.

This could be a late-blooming team. At least, Coach Kathy Olivier hopes it is. The Bruins played the first six games without senior point Erica Gomez, who had shoulder surgery in September. With her gone, prized freshman recruit Nicole Kaczmarski tried to fit into a lineup that began suffering one injury after another.

This week, four starters were out of practice. Also this week, Gomez said her team lacked intensity and chemistry.

USC, meanwhile, may begin conference play without the rebounding help Coach Chris Gobrecht was counting on until 6-foot-4 freshman Portia Mitchell runs 1 1/2 miles in 11 minutes.

“Every player I’ve had the last 20 years has been able to do that, and I’m not going to compromise on that requirement now,” Gobrecht said. “Until Portia does that, she doesn’t play.”

The Trojans also have been shaken by the loss of a longtime member of their basketball family. Administrative assistant Barbara Williams, 49, died Dec. 30 of a brain aneurysm, after serving the last four USC head coaches. Her funeral was Thursday.

The remaining Pac-10 teams:

Arizona--The Wildcats, whose entire roster from last season’s 18-11 team returned, look like the conference’s hot team. Joan Bonvicini’s team is 12-1 and 1-0 (5-1 on the road), losing only to Kansas, and is ranked 18th. Senior forward Tatum Brown is averaging 17 points and nine rebounds.

Arizona State--The Sun Devils have an 8-3 record, including Thursday’s conference victory over Stanford. Sophomore forward Theresa Jantzen leads the Pac-10 in free-throw shooting (86%) and is sixth in scoring (15 points per game). Fourth-year Coach Charli Turner Thorne hopes to guide the Sun Devils to their first winning season since 1993.

California--Marianne Stanley finally has size inside to complement the Golden Bears’ solid perimeter game, and her team averaged 43 rebounds during nonconference play, best in the Pac-10. Cal (5-6, 0-1) nearly ended North Carolina’s 61-game home win streak, trailing by only three points with 23 seconds to play.

Oregon--The Ducks tied UCLA for the Pac-10 title last year at 15-3 and are 9-3 this season. Now if they only had a schedule maker--Oregon has had seven straight road games and its first three Pac-10 games are on the road. Nevertheless, they are the conference’s best defensive team. Sophomore guard Shaquala Williams is a superstar in the making.

Oregon State--As if Coach Judy Spoelstra didn’t have enough problems, her 4-8 team is shooting 51% from the free-throw line. Senior center Sissel Pierce is formidable inside, averaging nearly three blocked shots per game. The Beavers don’t have enough weapons to win consistently, but look for them to pull off at least one upset in Gill Coliseum.

Stanford--This is a big, fast, sharpshooting and experienced team (7-4, 0-1) that would surprise no one if it won it all. Center Carolyn Moos is 6-6 and averaging 14 points and seven rebounds. Her backup, Cori Enghusen, is 6-7. Point guard Milena Flores just became only the fourth Stanford player to reach 500 assists. And wing Lindsey Yamasaki is the most complete player in the conference.

Washington--The Huskies (4-8) will be looking to end a three-game losing streak tonight at UCLA. They’ll be led again by junior guard Megan Franza, the league’s leading scorer at the outset, averaging 21 points. Her backcourt teammate, Loree Payne, is the No. 2 Pac-10 scorer, at 17.

Washington State--The Cougars (3-7) had their third consecutive losing record last season and it cost coach Harold Rhodes his job. The new mentor is Jenny Przekwas, who had six straight winners at St. Francis College of Pennsylvania. Her first Washington State season just got longer. Her best player, Tricia Lamb, quit the team Tuesday.