LOS ANGELES — UCLA battled through the wringer of tough non-conference foes over the previous two weeks. Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee tested the might of the Bruins and provided coach Cori Close some answers on what the fourth-ranked team in the country needed to improve.
“We are really poor in our aggression and inconsistent with our rebounding levels,” Close told the Southern California News Group earlier this week, “and that has got to improve quickly.”
UCLA more than responded to its coach’s request.
The Bruins played with aggression, pushing pace and defensive intensity against an undefeated Ducks team that prefers to play quickly, holding Oregon to 33% from the field. And they surely dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Ducks by 23 in an 80-59 victory in UCLA’s Big Ten opener on Sunday afternoon.
A 19-8 rebound advantage at the end of the first quarter said it all; it wasn’t only the differential between the programs, but also the score at the end of the period. UCLA (9-1, 1-0 Big Ten) pushed forward for an 11-1 lead, using six points from graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens to set the tone at Pauley Pavilion. The Utah transfer finished with 17 points on seven-for-13 shooting.
The improved rebounding effort was on full display, with the Bruins overpowering their 30th-best rebounding rate (43.3 boards per game) for 52 rebounds on Sunday, 16 coming on the offensive glass. Senior guard Gabriela Jaquez tipped the ball over her head into the hands of senior center Lauren Betts for a trip to the line for free throws. An offensive rebound from graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (10 rebounds and eight assists) led to an entry pass to Betts, who was immediately double-teamed, and funneled the ball to a wide-open Amanda Muse under the basket for a 31-12 lead with 4:55 in the second quarter.
Betts controlled the interior against the undersized Oregon post players, weaving in and out of the paint with nifty footwork, leading to second-chance looks like the tip-in layup on her own miss to place the Bruins ahead 37-16 near the end of the first half.
The star senior center, whom Close said earlier this week that UCLA needed to do a better job getting the ball, played up to her billing Sunday, recording season-highs all-around with 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in a team-leading double-double effort.
Oregon (10-1, 0-1) increased half-court pressure after the break – thanks to Ducks guard Katie Fiso, who heated up for 14 points overall after a 1-for-5 shooting skid in the first half – but such efforts were for naught. By halftime, the Bruins led by 23 points with a 21-plus rebounding advantage.
UCLA was too big, too strong; a straightforward case of Big Ten – and NCAA tourney – challengers versus conference upstarts.
The Bruins return to non-conference action next Tuesday, after the university’s fall quarter finals period, when UCLA hosts Cal Poly on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.