On Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion, the No. 3 UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team (17-1, 7-0 Big Ten) hosted the No. 12 Maryland Terrapins (17-3, 5-3 Big Ten). The Bruins defeated the Terrapins by 30 points, 97-67. UCLA’s senior guard Gabriela Jaquez led the Bruins with 22 points. UCLA’s graduate guards Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens both had a strong night as they continued to shoot threes, leaving Bruin fans on the edge of their seats.
Senior center Lauren Betts won the tipoff for UCLA and Jaquez scored the first two points for the Bruins shortly after. Jaquez had a really strong first quarter as she continued to score and with only three and a half minutes left in the first quarter she was leading the Bruins with six points. Graduate forward Angela Dugalić scored her first three points of the game after an assist from freshman forward Sienna Betts.
Maryland’s Oluchi Okananwa was awarded the first two free throws of the game to which she only made one. Leger-Walker was later awarded three free throws but only made one. Right after Leger-Walker’s free throws, Dugalić managed to get the offensive rebound, allowing Leger-Walker to score a three-pointer after an assist from senior guard Kiki Rice. The first quarter ended with the Bruins leading the Terrapins, 25-17.
Rice started off the second quarter scoring her first two points of the game. Leger-Walker scored a three and brought her total points to ten, the most for the Bruins. Kneepkens also scored a three to tie for most points with Leger-Walker. With four and a half minutes left in the first half, the Bruins were up by ten points. Leger-Walker and Kneepkens both scored to end the quarter with thirteen points each. The Bruins went into halftime leading at 47-35.
The Bruins dominated the Terrapins in the third quarter, scoring 26 points this quarter while the Terrapins only scored 12. Maryland started off with the ball but was then stolen by UCLA, giving Rice the chance to score. It was a rough start for the Terrapins as they continued to miss shot after shot and even threw an airball. Jaquez, meanwhile, continued to have a strong night. She managed to steal the ball from Maryland and then scored for the Bruins. Lauren Betts scored the final basket of the third quarter, extending the Bruins lead to 73-47.
The final quarter was noteworthy for Dugalić, who made the first three-pointer of the quarter. Jaquez also scored two baskets totaling four points in just two minutes, one of which was assisted by Rice. Rice was further notable for recording a strong block against Maryland.
Jaquez finished with 22 points, leading the Bruins. Maryland continued to trail UCLA after an over-the-back call, turning the ball over to the Bruins. With the final few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, UCLA held a commanding 30-point lead. Dugalić continued to dominate, scoring two baskets with less than a minute remaining, both assisted by Walker. The final basket was made by Rice, who scored the last two points to seal the Bruins’ 97–67 victory.
When asked about their performance after the game, UCLA head coach Cori Close answered, “Just really proud… we have to protect a selfless mindset.” When discussing the team’s defense, Close said, “We’re just allowing too many three-point attempts… we’re sixth in the country right now.”
UCLA’s women’s basketball will now prepare for their next game against Purdue at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday at 7p.m. PST.
__
Featured Image Photographed by Aamani Maddukuri/BruinLife
