A brand new 12 months ushered in one thing totally different for the UCLA girls’s basketball staff.
A severe problem.
Unable to drag away from Michigan like they’d in opposition to different opponents in current blowout victories, the Bruins discovered themselves main by solely seven factors getting into the fourth quarter.
The restlessness within the Pauley Pavilion crowd lastly dissipated when UCLA guard Londynn Jones noticed up for one three-pointer after one other, serving to the Bruins avert an sad begin to 2025.
Jones’ three three-pointers within the fourth quarter sparked a late surge that gave top-ranked UCLA an 86-70 victory over No. 24 Michigan on Sunday afternoon.
The Bruins made their remaining eight pictures, rolling off a 9-0 run at one level and protecting issues from getting any extra tense. Jones’ success from lengthy vary helped her end with 9 of her 13 factors within the remaining quarter, when UCLA (14-0 general, 3-0 Large Ten) made 11 of 15 pictures and 4 of six three-pointers.
“I thought Londynn was excellent in terms of her ability to stretch the zone,” UCLA coach Cori Shut mentioned, “and we finally got her some good teamwork shots with that and I thought she was a huge response for us.”
UCLA guard Londynn Jones, middle, drives to the basket in opposition to Michigan guards Mila Holloway, left, and Olivia Olson through the first half Wednesday.
(Eric Thayer / Related Press)
In one other robust across-the-board exhibiting, UCLA level guard Kiki Rice completed with 16 factors, 10 assists, 4 rebounds and three steals. Dominating within the paint almost each time she touched the ball, Bruins middle Lauren Betts logged a double-double with 13 factors and 10 rebounds to go along with 4 blocks and two steals.
Shut was sad with the combat her staff confirmed in opposition to an opponent that usually proved to be extra scrappy than the Bruins.
“I thought they out-toughed us tonight and we may have more talent pieces and may have won the game, but they won the toughness, togetherness battle and I told our team we didn’t win enough teamwork plays — transition D, 50-50s, rebounding, executing the scouting report, bench energy,” Shut mentioned. “It wasn’t one of our better games, so we have an immense amount of talent but we have to decide whether we want to win individual games or we want to become a championship team and that’s a decision we have to make right away.”
The Bruins had been in a sharing temper, accumulating 29 assists on their 35 baskets whereas taking pictures 55.6%. In addition they took care of the ball a lot better than they did in opposition to Nebraska final weekend, after they had 26 turnovers. They dedicated solely 15 turnovers in opposition to the Wolverines (10-4, 1-2).
Forwards Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalić every scored 12 factors for UCLA, which outrebounded the Wolverines by 5 and compelled them into 17 turnovers.
Freshman guard Syla Swords completed with 30 factors for Michigan, which shot 40.9% and made solely 5 of 19 three-pointers (26.3%).
A chilly spell for the Bruins repeatedly allowed Michigan to get out in transition for 3 consecutive layups that pulled the Wolverines to inside 52-45 late within the third quarter, prompting UCLA coach Cori Near name timeout. Nearly all the things else went the Bruins’ approach the remainder of the sport.
UCLA’s 40-29 halftime lead got here courtesy of fantastic ball motion, the Bruins logging 16 assists on their 17 baskets. Along with Rice, who tallied 5 assists to that time, Betts had 4 assists, together with three to Jaquez for layups.
Swords, getting back from a decrease leg harm that had stored her out of the Wolverines’ current loss to USC, propped up her staff with 18 factors by the sport’s midpoint. She didn’t get a lot help, solely two different Michigan gamers scoring.
Coming off the shakiest recreation of her profession — an eight-turnover, two-assist, two-point exhibiting in opposition to Nebraska — UCLA freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo appeared decided to reverse her fortunes within the early going. She discovered Rice for a layup on the sport’s opening possession and shortly thereafter made an entry move to Betts within the publish for a layup.
When Aarnisalo rose for a three-pointer the following time her staff obtained the ball, the Bruins held an 11-2 lead and Michigan was pressured to name timeout. The Wolverines ran off 9 consecutive factors to drag right into a tie earlier than the Bruins’ passing prowess finally helped them forge a 28-17 lead halfway by the second quarter when Jaquez scored off a move from Betts on a give-and-go layup. Aarnisalo completed with six factors, three assists and a steal.
Persevering with her pursuit of enchancment, Shut mentioned she was comfortable her gamers should journey to face Indiana on Saturday as a result of it’s going to make them take inventory of their ambitions.
“I think it’s going to force us to be like, you want to keep winning?” Shut mentioned. “You better buck up because you go into Bloomington with that level of urgency and concentration [that UCLA showed against the Wolverines], we’re going to get beat.
“We need to come in not just doing the scout and checking the box but dominating the scout. As you can tell, I’m fired up about this because I do not want this team to settle because of a lack of character and this conference is going to reveal [it] and I just hope our players do the work so that they like what it shows.”
