Minnesota motors from LA to Westwood to meet a devotee of the Wizard and his Pyramid of Success,
Cori Close. Close is in her 14th season as the Bruins head coach. It’s been a successful run that received a turbo boost on November 24th after UCLA ran over South Carolina 77-62 on national TV. The win at Pauley Pavillion snapped the Gamecocks 43 game winning streak and elevated UCLA to number one ln the AP poll.
Last season, the Bruins 27-7 record included a 2 OT loss to Southern Cal in the PAC 12 tournament and a season ending NCAA Sweet Sixteen loss to LSU 69-78. Versus the Tigers UCLA was led by two players Minnesota must deal with on Sunday: 6’7” Stanford sophomore transfer
Lauren Betts who led the Bruins with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks; and sophomore
Kiki Rice with 13 points, 5 assists and the first ever Jordan Brand Player Exclusive deal. Betts and Rice are now juniors with a roster fortified for a final four run.
Starters:
Lauren Betts is a 6’7” junior center averaging 22.4 points and 9 rebounds in 31.0 minutes. Betts earned AP player of the week honors after wins over Baylor, Rutgers and Maryland (she was 14-15 from the field versus the Terps).
When Betts, looking for a fresh start, left Stanford, Cori Close, given a second chance at recruiting her, closed the deal. After a rocky start in Westwood, Betts leaned into her game to everyone’s enjoyment,
Kiki Rice is a 5’11” junior guard averaging 14.3`points and 4.9 rebounds in 29.8 minutes. The Maryland native totaled 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists against the Terps. Rice isn’t much of a three-point threat; but she gets to the rim. She has a .553 field goal percentage.
Gabriela Jaquez is a 6’0” junior guard averaging 9.3`points and 4.9 rebounds in 25.6 minutes.
Londynn Jones is a 5’4” junior guard averaging 8.5 points and 0.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes. Jones is a three-point threat 19-41 (.463).
Angela Dugalic is a 6’4” graduate forward averaging 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 21.5 minutes.
Off the bench:
Timea Gardiner is a 6’3” junior forward transfer from Oregon State averaging 8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.7 minutes. Last season she was PAC 12 sixth player of the year.
Janiah Barker is a 6’4” junior forward transfer from Texas A&M averaging 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.1 minutes.
Elina Aarnisalo 5’10” freshman guard from Finland averaging 3.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in 20.1 minutes.
UCLA’s Big Ten record is 8-0 with wins over: @ Washington 73-62, Nebraska 91-54, Michigan 86-70, @ Indiana 73-62, @ Purdue 83-49, Penn State 83-67, @ Rutgers 84-66 and @ Maryland 82-67.
Afterword:
Minnesota is 1-2 versus UCLA which included a 63-78 loss in December 1979 and an afternoon Subway Classic 55-58 battle defeat in December of 2013.
We recall the win in 2004 as the most scintillating of Barn burners. And as one of Williams Arena’s top five memories.
'I could see her sinking' — How Lauren Betts rediscovered her confidence and found her voice - Yahoo Sports