Undersized Bruin Frontcourt Has Big Job Ahead at Purdue

The self-labeled “triple-threat” backcourt of Nikki Blue, Noelle Quinn and Lisa Willis gets the bulk of the accolades and attention paid to the UCLA women’s basketball team.

But it is the underappreciated frontcourt rotation of Lindsey Pluimer, Amanda Livingston and Chinyere Ibekwe that must do their part for the Bruins (21-10), seeded fifth in the Cleveland Regional, to upset fourth-seeded Purdue (25-6) in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The game tips off at 4 p.m. PST today in Mackey Arena, Purdue’s home court.

The word “under” comes up a few times when discussing the Bruin post players.

Livingston, a junior averaging 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds, has the heft for the inside, but at 6 feet 1 is an undersized center guarding players three to five inches taller.

Pluimer, a sophomore averaging 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, has a slim physique stretched over a 6-4 frame and is underweight for a power forward.

Ibekwe, a freshman averaging five points and 3.6 rebounds, has size (6-4) and strength. But she doesn’t always seem to understand what the Bruins are doing on defense, and she can be prone to fouling experienced opponents.

“Our coaches tell us we can’t take breaks in the post because, being undersized people, [opponents] will take advantage of those breaks,” Livingston said.

All three will have their hands full with Purdue’s inside game. Senior forward Aya Traore averages 13.1 points and is a relentless defender. Junior forward Erin Lawless averages 10.2 points and plays with attitude. Sophomore forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton is Purdue’s leading rebounder (5.8). Each stands 6-2 or taller. All are strong.

Coach Kristy Curry also has a pair of centers she can bring off the bench in 6-4 sophomore Natasha Bogdanova and 6-3 freshman Danielle Campbell.

“They’re very good at sealing you off the ball,” Pluimer said. “We’ll have to work at getting good position. But I feel we’ve had good preparation from playing in the Pac-10. I think we’ll be ready.”

Curry, however, said a physical game could work to Purdue’s benefit.

“But we have to be aggressive from the tip and get off to a quick start,” she said. “But their quickness and athleticism in the backcourt, we don’t see a lot of that ... but we are big and strong and we are going to try to take advantage of that.”

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Speaking of big people, no one stood taller for USC in its first-round victory over South Florida than Chloe Kerr.

The 6-3 junior center had career highs of 14 rebounds and five blocks to go with 16 points. And she made the game’s pivotal play, blocking forward Jessica Dickson’s potential game-winning shot with 16 seconds remaining in the 67-65 victory.

USC (19-11), seeded eighth, will need similar numbers from Kerr for the Trojans to upend Duke at Norfolk, Va. The Blue Devils (27-3), the top-seeded team in the Bridgeport Regional, barely broke a sweat in routing Southern, 96-27. They go 10 deep and love to run and press -- none of which is good news for injury-depleted USC.

“I think she’ll match up well,” USC Coach Mark Trakh said of Kerr during the team’s Monday news conference. “I know she’ll accept the challenge of playing against [Duke post players] Alison Bales and Chante Black.”

What also could be crucial to USC’s hopes is the point guard duel between Camille LeNoir and Duke’s Lindsey Harding. Both are quick and can score. The player who best controls the tempo may make the difference.

That duel “will be fun to watch,” Trakh said. “Both of them get their teammates involved and elevate their team’s play.”