SACRAMENTO — Once she missed her first layup as part of a frustrating first half, Angela Dugalic knew what was needed. “I was like, ‘Let me just go rebound,’” the UCLA graduate forward …
SACRAMENTO — Once she missed her first layup as part of a frustrating first half, Angela Dugalic knew what was needed. “I was like, ‘Let me just go rebound,’” the UCLA graduate forward told The California Post while sitting at her locker.
“I knew everything else was going to come.”With Dugalic grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds and helping the Bruins dominate in the paint despite a flurry of missed layups, there was no stopping them In the latest sign of her ability to impact a game off the bench, Dugalic notched a double-double to helpCall her a big guard or a forward. At 6 feet 4, it doesn’t matter given her array of skills.UCLA center Lauren Betts said of the teammate who also scored 13 points. “It’s really hard to guard her because she can play everywhere on the floor. And she’s really dominated inside this year. And I’m just really proud of her and how hard she’s worked.” Dugalic and Betts were big reasons the Bruins won the battle of points in the paint, 52-22. Trying to stop Betts is hard enough; putting Dugalic on the floor alongside her can bend defenses beyond their breaking point. “If they’re going to focus on me and try to take me away,” Betts said, “Ang usually has a mismatch there. So we’re just going to make sure to try to get her touches moving forward.” Dugalic’s story is one of selflessness and a symbol of her team’s willingness to do whatever is needed in pursuit of a title. Having started 34 of 35 games last season, Dugalic agreed to exclusively come off the bench during her final college season. “I knew sometimes the changing of the rotations, that might affect some people differently and that would affect me differently each game,” Dugalic said, “so it’s just like the anxiety, if I could take that away from me and my teammates, that is easiest solution, and I would do that any single day for any of my teammates and our team.” Coach Cori Close has asked Dugalic to do different things based on the opponent. When she goes up against an undersized counterpart, she posts them up. When they’re bigger, she’ll draw them out of the interior and set more screens to free teammates. “Her ability this year to step into whatever role is asked of her and her ability to do that consistently and at a high level, we just trust her so much out there,” point guard Kiki Rice said. “So we know whenever she comes in the game, she’s going to make an impact. Whether that’s scoring, knocking down 3s, scoring the paint, getting rebounds — I thought she did a fantastic job of crashing the boards for us today.Doing what was needed Friday also involved staying aggressive offensively after that early miss. Dugalic went on to make six of her final eight shots, the super sub stepping up once more for a team that will face third-seeded Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday. “We know we can count on her every single time and she’s going to make smart decisions, she’s going to really help us out,” Rice said. “We appreciate just the way that she shows up for us and is really selfless in her role.”Tiger Woods released from Florida jail hours after car crash, DUI bustTiger Woods appears dazed and glassy-eyed in mugshot after Florida crash, DUI arrest Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole' On Netflix, Where A Troubled Detective Tracks Down A Serial Killer Who Is Terrorizing Oslo
California Ncaa Tournament Ncaa Women’S Basketball Ucla Bruins
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UCLA star Lauren Betts rewards fans who helped change her lifeUCLA star Lauren Betts, who has shared her depression battle with the hope of helping others, played her best during her final game at Pauley Pavilion.
Read more »
This might be sweetest season of all for UCLA women's basketballThere could be something sweeter this time around. Another deep foray into the NCAA Tournament could finally produce the special ending the UCLA women’s basketball team has long sought. What’s the …
Read more »
NCAA Women’s Tournament: UCLA leans on the past for Sweet 16 and beyondAssistant coach and WNBA player Michaela Onyenwere is helping push the top-seeded Bruins ahead of Friday’s game with fourth-seeded Minnesota in Sacramento.
Read more »
UCLA confident it can evolve against Minnesota, pass the next NCAA tournament testUCLA has not delivered victories as lopsided as other No. 1 NCAA tournament seeds, but the Bruins are confident they can meet the next challenge and beat Minnesota.
Read more »
UCLA sues to stop Riverside County Sheriff's election investigationUCLA filed a lawsuit to stop the Riverside County Sheriff's Office investigation into the Prop 50 special election.
Read more »
Zacha scores 38 seconds into OT to give Bruins 4-3 win over SabresBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Paval Zacha scored 38 seconds into overtime, David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists and the Boston Bruins rallied for a 4-3 win over the
Read more »