Coatney's Call: UCLA Game Preview (March 23)

National Player of the Year candidate Kelsey Griffin reached the 2,000 career point plateau and Nebraska connected on a season-high fifty percent of their three-pointers (10-of-20) as the Huskers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament with an 83-44 victory over Northern Iowa Sunday night in Minneapolis. The 39-point win was NU's largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament in school history. Griffin led Nebraska with 22 points and nine rebounds and eight different players hit a three-pointer. With the win, the #1-seed Huskers improved to 31-1 on the season and will face #8-seed UCLA Tuesday night. The Bruins defeated #9-seed North Carolina State 74-54 in the second game of the Minneapolis bracket.

UCLA finished the regular season ranked 22nd in both major polls. The Bruins have won 15 of their last 17 games, with their only losses coming to Stanford, the Pac-10 Conference champions and the #1 seed in the Sacramento region of the NCAA Tournament. The second-place finish for UCLA in the Pac-10 was their best showing in the league since their shared first-place in 1998-99. UCLA's overall record of 25-8 is somewhat deceptive as three of their losses are to Stanford and three early losses occurred before transfer Jasmine Dixon joined the lineup of December 15.

After playing in the first five games of her freshman season for Rutgers in 2008-09, 5-11 sophomore guard Jasmine Dixon transferred to UCLA and became eligible during the eighth game of this season. The 2008 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in California leads UCLA in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg). Dixon, named first-team all Pac-10 Conference, ranks 21st nationally in field goal percentage (.550). She has a team-high 17 points in the opening round win over NC State, and has now scored in double-digits in 22 of her 26 games this season. With a game-high 11 rebounds, it marked Dixon's seventh double-double of the year. UCLA is now 21-5 since Dixon made her debut.

6-1 freshman forward Markel Walker is one of the most versatile players in the nation. She can handle the ball in space like a point guard or play the power forward position. Along with Dixon, Walker was named to the All-Pac 10 team. She was a 2009 high school Parade All-American and is second on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). She came close to a triple-double in the win over NC State with eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

5-10 junior guard Doreena Campbell is third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg). She had 11 points against NC State, her 13th double-figure scoring output on the year. Campbell is the only Bruin to start all 32 games and is second on the team in assists. 5-8 junior guard Darxia (dar-EX-ee-uh) Morris leads the team in assists and contributes 8.4 ppg. She has started 11 of the last 12 games. 6-0 senior guard Erica Tukiainen rounds out UCLA's probable starting lineup. S/he leads the Bruins with 49 three-pointers and is now tied for fifth-place on UCLA's single-season three-point field goal record list and is fifth on the school's career three-pointer list with 103. She had 12 points and three triples vs. NC State Sunday night.

Second-year Bruin Head Coach Nikki Caldwell was named 2010 Pac-10 Coach of the Year and has led UCLA to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. She helped Tennessee to a 118-13 record as a player from 1991-94.

UCLA leads the all-time series with Nebraska 4-0, but the teams have not faced each other since 1998.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska Women's Basketball on the Husker Sports Network. Our radio broadcast Tuesday night begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 8:04 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on KFGE 98.1 FM (Froggy 98) in Lincoln, KTWI 93.3 FM (Twister 93.3) in Omaha, KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha, KRVN 880 AM in Lexington, KNEB 960 AM/94.1 FM in Scottsbluff/Gering, KHAS 1230 AM/KLIQ 94.5 FM in Grand Island/Kearney/Hastings, 1450 KWBE/99.5 KUTT Beatrice/Fairbury, and available to our entire 25-station radio network. All Husker Women's Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com. I hope you can join us.

Go Big Red!

Matt