When people think of UCLA Bruins basketball, they usually think of the 11 national championships, 19 Final Fours, and 37 Sweet Sixteen appearances that the men’s team has achieved. But that is changing.
The 2024-2025 UCLA women’s basketball team earned a spot in the Sweet Sixteen by defeating the 16th seeded Southern University Jaguars last Friday night, 84-46 and followed that up with an 84-67 hard fought victory over the No. 8 seeded Richmond University Spiders last Sunday on the UCLA campus.
The victories gave the Bruins their third consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament. The Bruins are the No. 1 ranked team in the nation and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. With nine McDonald’s high school All-Americans on the roster, the Bruins are a “Team of Stars.”
Against Southern University, the Bruins never trailed and had six players in double figures, led by center Lauren Betts with 14 points and three blocked shots. Two other players had nine points each. Forward Janiah Barker led the team with ten rebounds and point guard Kiki Rice had seven assists.
The Bruins led 36-16 with six minutes remaining in the second quarter and seemed well on their way to an easy victory, but the tenacious Jaguars outscored the Bruins 10-2 over the final six minutes of the quarter to cut the lead to 38-26 at halftime. UCLA came out in the second half and held the Jaguars to just 20 points over the final 20 minutes.
UCLA had a much more difficult time with Richmond on Sunday night, as the Spiders led after one quarter, 20-18, and came back from an eight-point second quarter deficit to tie the game at halftime, 36-36. Richmond had hammered Georgia Tech on Friday evening, 74-49 behind their star forward Maggie Doogan, who had 30 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists in the win over Georgia Tech.
Doogan was the Conference Player of the Year in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2024-25, and the 6-foot-2 forward gave the Bruins fits in the first half, with 16 points on 7 for 10 shooting and 3 assists. UCLA head coach Cori Close and her coaching staff made some half-time adjustments that showed in the third quarter.
The Bruin defense raised their intensity level in the third quarter and the crowd came alive, as the Bruins outscored the Spiders 29-7 to take a 22-point lead going into the fourth quarter, cruising to an 84-67 victory over Richmond. The Bruins finally slowed Doogan down, holding her to two points in the third quarter. The Bruins did a good job of crowding Doogan and her teammates at the three-point line and did an excellent job of rebounding in the third quarter.
Betts was unstoppable against Richmond with 30 points and 14 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds, and added four assists. Rice had 23 points, seven assists, and no turnovers. Rice hit on 4 of 6 three-point attempts. For the Spiders, Doogan finished with 27 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and two blocks. But it was the third quarter defense and the crowd that really changed the game.
“I’m just super proud of my teammates,” Betts said after the game. “I thought, you know, that second half we really turned it around. I think we just changed our mentality defensively. We wanted to get stops, and you know we communicated, and we had each other’s back, and we played as a unit, and that’s what’s most important.
“I think everybody individually just stepped up and did what they needed to do. I think if they just continue to do that we’re going to be in a really good position. But I’m just really proud of everybody today.”
“That was definitely one of my favorite crowds I’ve played in front of,” Rice said in the postgame press conference. “Their energy and how they carried us, especially in the third quarter, to bring us that extra boost we really appreciated that. Given that it’s spring break right now, there’s not a ton of students on campus. It means so much for us for so many people to show up. And obviously in L.A., there’s so many other things to do. It’s a beautiful weekend, but people were here in the gym watching us. That was really fun”
It was fun for the raucous crowd of 6,119 fans at Pauley Pavilion. With a 32-2 record overall, the 2024-2025 UCLA Bruins have set a school record for the most wins in a season. Unlike the men’s basketball program, the Bruins women’s basketball team has never won an NCAA championship and has never made the NCAA Final Four. UCLA head coach Close understands the significance of the moment.
“Well, I think it’s one thing to get to certain points of elite excellence,” Close said. “And I think being Sweet 16 and higher, it’s really how you’re judged if you want to be an elite basketball program. I think it’s sustained excellence, and I think we’re making steps of that. That’s just an expectation.”
The Bruins will take on the Ole Miss Rebels on March 28, Friday night in the Spokane 1 Region in Spokane, Washington. The game will be televised on ESPN and will begin at 7:00 pm. The Rebels are the 5th seed in the region and are 22-10 on the season. They were ranked No. 25 in the Final AP Poll before the tournament started.
Ole Miss played a tough schedule, with nine of their ten losses to teams that are still currently alive in the NCAA tournament. The Rebels will have a problem with the Bruins size and the Bruins need to be ready for a physical battle. The expectations are rising for this talented Bruins squad, and it appears that this team is up to the challenge.