The No. 2 UCLA Bruins played two superb quarters on Wednesday against Rutgers. Those two quarters were so good that the Bruins were able to drift through the other two quarters and still pick up an 86-46 win.
UCLA won the first quarter by 20 points and they won the third quarter by 20 points, meaning that Rutgers played the Bruins to a tie in the other two quarters. It’s not the end of the world that UCLA did their damage in just two quarters but it’s a reminder that if you’re not mentally with it, then any team in the Big Ten will be able to show signs of life.
Bruins head coach Cori Close noticed her team’s greatness in the first and third period and also noticed its absence in the second and fourth quarters.
“I think our team as a whole, our next piece of discipline that we need to grab is learning how to be more consistent in that venture,” Close said. “We haven’t proven, against teams that are not on our caliber from a talent perspective, that we can put 40 minutes of disciplined basketball together and play to our standards on a consistent basis.”
It’s a good problem to have for the 22-1 Bruins but it could prove to be costly if UCLA can’t figure it out before they head into the Big Ten Conference tournament next month. It’s hard to find too many gripes with a 40-point win but the Bruins have greater goals for this season beyond just blowing out Rutgers.
Now the Bruins will begin their toughest Big Ten road trip of the season, facing two ranked teams for a chance to nearly wrap up the Big Ten regular season title with a pair of wins over No. 8 Michigan and No. 12 Michigan State.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Cori Close wants more consistency and discipline from her 22-1 Bruins
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
