LOS ANGELES — To call No. 3 UCLA’s roaring start to the season impressive would, unobjectively, be an understatement.
Five wins, two being double-digit victories over top-15 programs, have comfortably placed the Bruins (5-0) in the upper echelon of the country. Coach Cori Close, whose program earned a single top vote in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, is confident UCLA won’t turn complacent with a Sunday game against Southern (1-4) before turning attention to No. 4 Texas (5-0) and No. 15 Tennessee (4-1) in the week to come.
“I think everybody looked at this week when it came out, and (went), ‘Whoa, what an opportunity,’” she said.
The 15th-year coach showed a video of former Alabama football coach Nick Saban preaching about outcomes becoming distractions. Close believes that for the Bruins to become national title contenders, they’ll need to continue to grow their toughness and togetherness.
“Other people are focusing to beat us,” Close said. “We are focusing to be us.”
As Friday morning’s practice wrapped up, Close told the Bruins of a need to attack an “aggressive week” by being “aggressive first.” Against then-No. 6 Oklahoma and then-No. 11 North Carolina, UCLA led by just five points and one point at halftime, respectively. The Bruins won those games by a combined 32 points and are currently averaging 81.8 points per game, the 44th-best mark in the nation.
Graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, who leads the Bruins with 5.8 assists per game – UCLA is ranked 10th in the country in assists – said in past games they haven’t asserted themselves quickly enough, allowing their foes to linger. Leger-Walker believes that can change with aggression.
“I think it’s just going out with that mentality of knowing who we are, what we’re capable of, and really trying to punch first,” said Leger-Walker, who is one of six Bruins playing 25 or more minutes a game, “so that we stay aggressive throughout the whole game.”
UCLA’s leading scorer, however, may come as a surprise, but not to Close. Senior guard Gabriela Jaquez isn’t one of the Bruins on the Wooden Award watchlist – unlike center Lauren Betts, forward Sienna Betts, and guards Kiki Rice and Gianna Kneepkens – yet she leads the pack with 15.6 points per game on 47.4% shooting from 3-point range.
Close said she’s been most impressed by Jaquez’s 3-point acumen, but wants to see her battle for rebounds, for which she’s tied with Lauren Betts for the team lead at 7.8 per game.
“She’s a great shooter, but what’s made her special is her warrior mentality,” Close said, “and I’m going to need that to come out on a very consistent basis this week.”
For Jaquez, she’s looking forward to the matchups coming up as the Bruins build endurance for another lengthy season ahead.
“It just brings a lot of hype, and it’s just super good for exposure,” Jaquez said. “I think it’s also going to really prepare us for the postseason.”
Injury updates
Senior forward Timea Gardiner (knee) has been “three steps forward, one step back” in her road to recovery, Close said. Although Gardiner isn’t in season-ending territory, the sharpshooting wing – who shot 39.5% from beyond the arc last season – is “a couple of weeks away.”
Sienna Betts (lower-leg injury) will not play in the upcoming week of games, Close said, as she recovers from her preseason scrimmage injury.
“I’m really not trying to be evasive, but every week, we’re like, ‘OK, where are we here?’” Close said. “This week they’re not going to be available, and so we’ll see where we are after that.”