No. 5 UCLA ready for revenge vs. No. 1 South Carolina two years after tournament loss

UCLA center Lauren Betts blocks Louisville guard Tajianna Roberts’ (22) shot while Gabriela Jaquez (11) looks on during the Bruins’ win on Nov. 4 in Paris. (Aurelien Morissard / Associated Press)

After UCLA was eliminated by South Carolina during the 2023 Sweet 16, Bruins coach Cori Close sat at the podium for her postgame news conference. As the questions poured in, she recalls thinking just one thing over and over again.

“I have to grow in some areas,” Close said ahead of the No. 5 Bruins’ soldout game against No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. “I have to be able to put this team in different and better situations, given what I’ve learned about them.”

UCLA forward Janiah Barker grabs a rebound during the Bruins’ win over Arkansas on Nov. 17. (William Liang / Associated Press)

Close has seen a lot in her 14 years leading the UCLA women’s basketball program, but the main thing she’s noticed that’s different about her team this season is its confidence. That kind of confidence is bound to happen when you have center Lauren Betts, the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer averaging 21.5 points while shooting 72% from the field. She’s also third in the conference in rebounding with 11.5 per game, with Bruins Janiah Barker (9.8 rpg) and Angela Dugalic (9.0 rpg) ranking sixth and eighth, respectively.

That success down low has opened the floor offensively for the Bruins (4-0), who are dishing out 22 assists per game — eighth most in the nation and second in the Big Ten.

“I’ve been double teamed and tripled teamed all my life, so it’s not something I’m not used to,” Betts said. “I think with this team especially, the amount of shooters we have. Obviously we have the addition of Timea Gardiner now, so just having her on the wing and knowing that I can always kick out to somebody and they’re going to be able to shoot, I think, just relieves all my pressure and makes my job 10 times easier.”

Read more: Lauren Betts has another double-double…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-5-ucla-spent-two-203821147.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-11-23 20:38:00

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