In their first game back at Pauley Pavilion after a historic campaign last season, No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball quickly returned to form. The Bruins (2-0) defeated the UCSB Gauchos (1-1) 87-50 at Pauley Pavilion early Thursday afternoon.
Three UCLA players reached the 20-point mark in the dominant victory. UCLA’s leading scorer and All-American Center last season, Lauren Betts, often finds herself at the top of the stat sheet, yet was shockingly not one of them.
Instead, the Bruins saw huge scoring success from seniors Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jacquez, and graduate student Gianna Kneepkens.
It was Jacquez once again with a team-best performance, scoring a game-high 21 points and six rebounds, shooting 7-11 from the field and 4-7 from three-point range. Her +37 on the court was also a team-high.
Rice, who underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, was on a minutes restriction in practice and in last week’s matchup vs San Diego State. Against the Gauchos, she seemed undeterred, scoring 20 points and collecting eight rebounds, while shooting an impressive 7-7 from the free throw line.
UCSB had no answer for Kneepkens, the Utah transfer, who seemed to drain threes at will. She finished with 20 points, shooting 7-12 FG and 4-8 3-pointers.
Despite finishing with a solid 12 points, Betts’ impact seemed to transcend her scoring numbers entirely. The game plan early on was clear: get the ball to the 6’7 Betts in the paint. But as the double-teams poured on, Betts seemed poised to get her teammates involved. Her six assists displayed unselfishness and put the Bruins’ versatile offensive attack on display.
The first quarter featured back-and-forth scoring throughout, with UCLA struggling to pull away early on. Heading into the 2nd quarter, their lead was just 21-17.
In the end, it was their success in the second period that propelled UCLA to its victory. The final two minutes of the quarter displayed tremendous defensive effort, as four separate Bruins picked up a steal, leading to a quick nine points and igniting a 19-2 run.
Powered by 10 points from Rice, the Bruins outscored the Gauchos 30-9 in the second, extending their lead to 51-26 by halftime. A steadfast latter-half performance kept UCLA on top and sealed the win.
Despite the dominance of the starting five, one concern for the Bruins was their lack of bench play. The starters accounted for 81 of the 87 points, with the first bench point not coming until just 6:49 was left in the 4th quarter.
Come tournament time, a short roster can be a dangerous feature of a team looking to make a deep run. However, provided these Bruins stay healthy, their starting rotation can compete with anyone in the country.
UCLA now looks ahead to its first big test of the season, a neutral-site matchup vs No. 10 Oklahoma on Nov. 10.
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Featured Image via BruinLife Archives
