LOS ANGELES — Cori Close appeared on the Pauley Pavilion big screen halfway through the first quarter, welcoming hordes of children – most in matching bright green or Bruin blue T-shirts – into the stands for the Bruins’ annual morning field-trip game.
“I want to hear you,” the Bruins’ women’s basketball coach said, turning her profile to the left and holding her hand in a cupping motion by her ear.
The kids heard her message – loud and clear. And the echoes of incoherent screeches-turned-cheers roused to deafening highs as No. 3 UCLA (2-0) defeated UC Santa Barbara 87-50 early Thursday afternoon in Westwood.
The Bruins shot 49% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Senior guard Gabriela Jaquez led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting with four 3-pointers.
Senior guard Kiki Rice and graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens added 20 points apiece.
While the cheers were loud, the Bruins showed similar inconsistencies early in the game that Close hounded on postgame following UCLA’s season-opening victory over San Diego State Monday at Honda Center.
Redshirt sophomore forward Amanda Muse – who could be the stop-gap option while freshman forward Sienna Betts recovers from an undisclosed lower leg injury that has kept her out of action – was beaten twice down the baseline for easy lay-ins in the first quarter. Senior center Lauren Betts, who tallied a quiet yet effective 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists, helped to shore up the defensive approach when she re-entered the game later in the first quarter.
Still, UCLA allowed 17 points in the first quarter to the Gauchos (1-1) – more than any quarter against the Aztecs earlier this week.
UCLA separated itself quickly, however, led by Kneepkens in the second quarter. The 6-foot Utah transfer knocked down two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to build the lead to 37-24 with 5:29 remaining in the first half.
From there, the Bruins hardly broke a sweat.
Jaquez continued her high-effort intensity while on the floor – forcing a steal on an inbound play to then convert on the and-one after making an acrobatic, one-handed layup through contact. Led by Rice, who scored 10 points in the second quarter – and played 31 minutes after playing in just 25 minutes against San Diego State – the Bruins outscored the Gauchos 19-2 over the final six-minute span to lead 51-26 at halftime
Sixteen more points is all UCLA needed. The small, but mighty fans in the blue-padded chairs waved their hands up in down in a shrugging-like motion.
Sixty-seven points would mean UCLA had accomplished what the crowd had been waiting for: a schoolkid’s memory, a tribute to the “six-seven” internet meme akin to Gangnam Style or the Mannequin challenge that could send Pauley Pavilion into hysterics.
Instead, with the Bruins leading 65-37 midway through the third quarter, Jaquez had the open look from beyond the arc. She couldn’t pass up the 3-pointer and drained it, as 68 points would have to do with four minutes on the clock and the kids still roared up 31 points in the third quarter.
The Bruins played without Sienna Betts (day-to-day) and Timea Gardiner (knee), the latter of whom Close said would miss the start of the season.
UCLA next plays three neutral site games – one in Sacramento and two in Las Vegas next week – starting with Oklahoma (1-0) on Monday at the Golden 1 Center up north.