At the end of their 11-game nonconference schedule, the Bruins are perfect.
In its first matchup with a ranked opponent, No. 10 UCLA women’s basketball (11-0) defeated No. 12 Indiana (10-2) 68-58 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The Bruins are only one win away from tying their best start in school history – a record set by the 1980-1981 team.
“I’m really proud of our team because we earned that,” said coach Cori Close. “(Indiana is) a really good team, and I believe they are going to compete for a Big Ten championship – that’s why I’m really proud of our team.”
In the teams’ matchup last season, the Hoosiers came away with a 67-65 victory in Westwood after a go-ahead 3-pointer by guard Jaelynn Penn with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Junior forward Michaela Onyenwere said last year’s result was a form of motivation for the Bruins.
“Last year – credit to (the Hoosiers) – but they took it from us on their last-second three,” Onyenwere said. “That was in the back of our heads a little bit, so that propelled us this game.”
Last year, redshirt senior guard Japreece Dean and Onyenwere were two of the three leading scorers in the game for UCLA, scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively.
This time around, Dean and Onyenwere combined scored 49 of UCLA’s 68 points.
Onyenwere was the game’s leading scorer, finishing with 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting. After scoring just six points in the first half, Onyenwere scored 19 second-half points.
“My teammates give me the ball in great places and I am able to do what I need to do, whether that is a turnaround jumper or just getting the ball in the post,” Onyenwere said. “When people double me, I’m able to find my teammates, and they make shots.”
Close said Onyenwere’s play was the difference in the game.
“The reality is (we) have (Onyenwere) and they don’t,” Close said. “That’s the big X-factor.”
Indiana started the game leading 4-2, however UCLA kept the Hoosiers off the board after that until the end of the quarter, earning a 15-4 lead that the Bruins would never relinquish. The four points were tied for the lowest given up by UCLA and the lowest scored by Indiana in a quarter this season.
The Hoosiers shot under 35% from the field and finished with 15 turnovers.
UCLA also won the rebounding battle 49-44, with a team-high 12 rebounds coming from junior forward Lauryn Miller, who tied a career-best eight offensive boards. Miller also added 11 points, good for her fourth career double-double, all of which have come this season.
Miller played just nine minutes in the game against Indiana last season and didn’t score any points.
“I knew our team was going to have to grow, especially in the areas of defense and rebounding,” Close said. “I didn’t think we earned our ranking until this week, and if we wanted to pursue the level of excellence that we committed to, then we had to step our game up in those areas.”
UCLA will begin conference play when it takes on crosstown rival USC in Westwood on Sunday.