Following the Bruins’ 69-37 win over Cal Poly at home on Monday, UCLA’s head coach Cori Close was again wanting more from her team even in the victory.
“Our achilles heel right now that we need to change right now is two things: how we move the ball and take care of the ball: and two, how we sustained discipline things under our control,” Close said. “We just didn’t stay focused on what our game plan was tonight and how we needed to play.”
Star center Lauren Betts missed the game with an injury but it’s not considered to be a serious issue for the center but Close didn’t want her absence to be an excuse for the team. It’s not the first time this year that Close has been critical of her team after a win, doing so after their Big Ten opening win over Washignton.
“I don’t care that Lauren wasn’t in the lineup,” Close said. “We have so many weapons, we still have a responsibility to play to our identity and ultimately that’s my job to get us in a better position to do that.”
Even with the frustrations, UCLA remains the No.1 team in the country and sits with a perfect 11-0 record entering this weekend’s trip to Northern California for the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic, where the Bruins will face Creighton University Friday night.
“We need to become more disciplined now,” Close said. “If you don’t, you’re going to either have the pain and discomfort of what it takes to become disciplined or you’re going to choose the pain and discomfort that comes with regret.”