No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball fends off feisty San Diego State to win opener
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The No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball team won its season opener, defeating feisty San Diego State 77–53 on Monday at the Honda Center.
UCLA coach Cori Close wasn’t pleased with the Bruins’ performance.
“I love this team. I believe in this team. They have prepared exceptionally well,” Close said. “They’ve worked as hard — harder — than any team I’ve coached in the offseason. That being said, we did not carry that over to the game tonight. We did not carry that over with the level of excellence and focus and effort and relentlessness and teamwork. And execution was not there.”
The Bruins (1–0) built an eight-point lead in the first quarter, but the unranked Aztecs (0–1) managed to cut the deficit by three by the end of the period.
San Diego State struggled to score in the second quarter when UCLA went on a 12–2 run.
The Bruins extended their lead to 15 points, ending the first half with a 37–22 advantage.
UCLA center Lauren Betts scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds, guard Gabriela Jaquez recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and point guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, who returned to the court after redshirting last season, contributed 12 points and five assists.
Leger-Walker started, while veteran point guard Kiki Rice came off the bench. Close said Rice has been dealing with nagging injuries for most of two seasons and is finally healthy but was only fully cleared to play Monday.
“I consider her and Charlisse co-lead guards for us,” Close said.
Charlisse Leger-Walker, an elite passer and playmaker who transferred to UCLA, is finally healthy and is eager ready to help the Bruins win.
Leger-Walker was grateful to finally play in a game after missing all of last season and part of the previous one recovering from an injury.
“Honestly the whole day, the whole week, I’ve been so excited to finally put on the uniform and play,” she said. “... There’s been such a great energy around this team.”
The game, however, was far from fluid for the heavily favored Bruins, who had to dig in as San Diego State mounted rallies.
The Bruins opened the third quarter with a 16–0 run. Although the Aztecs fought hard to close the gap, the Bruins maintained control, ending the quarter with a 58–38 lead.
San Diego State pushed UCLA again in the fourth quarter, but the Aztecs couldn’t make a meaningful dent in their deficit.
Leger-Walker said the Bruins were far from polished and fell short of their team goals.
“I think it’s the little things that we talk about every day — the communication, the hustle plays,” Leger-Walker said while discussing what was missing for the Bruins. “We have a statistic that we track outside of the normal steps and we call them passion plays. And we didn’t hit those goals that we set for ourselves. ... When we don’t do that, you can really tell that it transfers over into the game.”
Close credited San Diego State for playing aggressive team defense, moving the ball to earn open looks and making UCLA uncomfortable.
Aztecs sophomore guard Kaelyn Hamilton came off the bench to lead her team with 11 points, while guards Nat Martinez and Nala Williams scored 10 points apiece.
“I thought they were tough, together, relentless, even-keeled,” Close said of the Aztecs. “I thought their coaching staff did an excellent job putting us in a difficult situation.”
Donovan Dent finishes with 21 points and nine rebounds, but coach Mick Cronin is disappointed in what he sees from UCLA in an 80-74 win over Eastern Washington.
She lamented her team failed to follow its game plan.
“I didn’t think we had a focus defensively,” Close said. “I always tell them if you execute the scouting report and it doesn’t work, it’s my fault. If you don’t execute the scouting report and don’t do what we said and we don’t play as a connected team, it’s your fault. ... I think it’s a good wake-up call and to say, ‘You know what, if we don’t commit to the championship-level standards and habits every day, anything can happen.’ And I didn’t think we played near to our potential on either side of the ball.”
UCLA will play its home opener Thursday against UC Santa Barbara.
“I expect an incredibly different response in us going to another level in our focus, teamwork and toughness,” Close said.
Etc.
Close praised Orange County game organizers and said she hopes to bring a game to the Honda Center every season moving forward.
