LOS ANGELES — UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close doesn’t subscribe to the belief that she has a target on her back after winning the NCAA national championship last season.
UCLA is ranked 11th in the country in the AP preseason poll and has a deep roster, but this team looks vastly different from the senior-laden squad that finished with a program-record 37 wins and went undefeated in Big Ten play.
“Having a target on your back means you’re worried about what someone else is going to do,” Close said. “That’s an outcome-based thinking, and we have to be obsessed with our process.”
Here are six questions for the UCLA women’s basketball team, with the program carrying two freshmen and five transfers ahead of its season opener against Lehigh on Monday.
What to expect from Sienna Betts?
Sienna Betts enters her sophomore year after averaging 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game off the bench. The 6-foot-4 forward is left-handed and known to stretch the floor with her passing and midrange shooting and has the challenging task of following her older sister Lauren, the 6-foot-7 All-American center who led the Bruins’ title run.
“I loved playing the point-forward position in high school,” Betts said. “So I’m excited to showcase that at the college level, but it’s hard; it’s a growing pain, and I have a much bigger role this year. I’m going to go through that growing pain and learn.”
How does a healthy Timea Gardiner benefit UCLA?
Gardiner was one of UCLA’s more efficient shooters in 2024-25 before a torn ACL in the offseason prevented her from playing during UCLA’s national championship run. She shot 39.5% from the 3-point range two seasons ago and now carries a greater offensive responsibility.
“Coach Cori has been a tremendous pillar in my recovery,” Gardiner said. “She’s given me the space that I need mentally to help me succeed physically. It’s nice for me not to have my knee be a hindrance.”
How is chemistry building with transfer players?
Senior guard Donovyn Hunter transferred from Oregon State. Junior guard Elina Aarnisalo returned to UCLA after playing her sophomore year at North Carolina. KK Bransford is a fifth-year senior from Notre Dame. Guard Bonnie Deas came from Arkansas. Senior Addy Brown was a key guard at Iowa State. All join UCLA as transfers trying to fit into a new system.
“Transferring can be a scary thing,” Hunter said. “It can be a little uncomfortable, and it’s a harder process to get used to. (Close) has done a job of speaking life into us but also pushing us and knowing what we are capable of. We are going to mess up, and we are going to get it perfect on the first try.”
How has Bransford’s game evolved after Notre Dame?
Bransford a Fighting Irish team captain and played in the Elite Eight last season, averaging 7.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 47.3% from the floor. Bransford has expanded her game.
“I’ve been growing my ball handling, my shooting, my defense, and being able to defend guards because I am versatile,” Bransford said. “I am a hybrid player.”
Who can be UCLA’s perimeter ball stopper?
Deas joins UCLA after averaging 10.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists for Arkansas and is striving toward being a relied-upon on-ball defender.
“I’m bringing my hustle,” Deas said. “I want to be a defensive leader on the team. Hustle, be on the boards and be everywhere.”
How good are the two freshmen?
Somto Okafor and Lina Jerkovic have impressed Close since arriving from Europe this summer. Okafor, a shooting guard, hails from Spain. Jerkovic, a point guard, arrived from Slovenia.
“I knew that Somto was going to make an immediate impact,” Close said. “(Jerkovic) has been one of our biggest surprises. You watch her, and she doesn’t make any mistakes. Somto has an incredible mind, and then you add her explosiveness.”
Season opener: Lehigh at No. 11 UCLA
When: 11:30 a.m. Monday
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV/Radio: Big Ten Plus/UCLABruins.com/Listen-live