UCLA women's basketball coach Corey Close she couldn't imagine a better way to end non-conference play than with a Saturday afternoon match. 106-44 bust Long Beach State at Pauley Pavilion.
Coming off a 115-28 triumph over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Tuesday (UCLA's largest margin of victory in the NCAA era), the Bruins picked up where they left off with their fifth straight win since their lone loss to Texas on Nov. 26.
“We're growing… we had a few mistakes today and we're not there yet, but we're moving in the right direction,” Close said. “I love the dedication of this team.”
Senior Security Guard Gabriela Jaques led the team with 17 points and made five of six 3-point shots. Angela Dugalich scored 13 points and Gianna Knipkens added 10 points and 10 rebounds. All 11 Bruins who played scored at least one basket.
UCLA forward Sienna Betts (top) and Long Beach State forward Kennan Ka rush for the ball during the Bruins' win on Saturday.
(Jesse Alche/Associated Press)
Playing their final game in Westwood until Jan. 3, when they host crosstown rival USC, the Bruins (11-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) looked every bit like the No. 4 team in the country, improving to 6-0 at home. They are ranked fourth in the Associated Press and coaches polls behind Connecticut, Texas and South Carolina.
Jaques scored nine of the Bruins' first 12 points. She opened the scoring with a 3-pointer from the key spot and added back-to-back triples to push the lead to eight points. Her fourth 3-pointer from the right corner extended the lead to 21-5.
Sienna Betts' jumper in the lane put UCLA up 19 points late in the first quarter. The sophomore finished with 14 points, while the senior Lauren Betts added 17. The sisters' parents, Michelle and Andy, played volleyball and basketball, respectively, for the Long Beach State team. Sienna wears her mom's number 16 and Lauren wears her dad's number 51.
Kiki Rice's steal and layup made it 46-18 with 3:28 left in the first half, and Charlize Leger-Walker's tip at the buzzer gave the Bruins a 34-point lead at the break. Rice had a complete game, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one blocked shot.
The result continued the Bruins' recent dominance over the Beach. UCLA has won six straight head-to-head games, including a 51-point rout of the schools' previous matchup last December when Close became the winningest coach in program history with her 297th win, surpassing Billy Moore (296-181). Long Beach State hasn't beaten the Bruins since 1987 under Joan Bonvicini, who posted a 16-1 record against UCLA in 12 seasons on the Beach from 1979 to 1991.
The Bruins' main defensive focus has been slowing down sophomore guard Jaquaoia Jones-Brown, who entered Saturday averaging 17.2 points per game. She scored 10 of the Beach's 11 points in the first quarter but remained scoreless the rest of the way. She scored in double figures in nine of the ten games. Guard Christy Reynoso added six points for the Beach (0-10 overall, 0-2 Big West).
The Bruins will travel to Columbus on Dec. 28 to face No. 21 Ohio State (9-1).
