No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team, holding a 23-1 overall record and remaining undefeated in Big Ten Conference play at 13-0, is set to face No. 13 Michigan State (20-4, 9-4 B1G) on Wednesday evening in East Lansing. The game will be held at the Breslin Center with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m. PT and broadcast on Peacock.
The matchup marks the fifth meeting between the two programs, with both teams tied at two wins each in their all-time series. Under head coach Cori Close, UCLA holds a 1-0 record against Michigan State in Big Ten games after a win last season.
UCLA enters this contest following a narrow victory over No. 8/7 Michigan, where senior Kiki Rice led the Bruins with 20 points. Lauren Betts contributed significantly with a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds, along with five assists and three blocks.
This season, UCLA started ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 Women’s Basketball Poll and faced several top-ranked opponents during November, finishing that month with a winning record against ranked teams. The team also played six of its first eight games at neutral sites and was recognized as the USBWA National Team of the Week after key victories early in the season.
UCLA has achieved eight wins over ranked opponents so far this year, including five within conference play. The Bruins currently lead the Big Ten standings and have maintained an impressive winning streak since late December.
The Big Ten Conference features strong competition this season, with seven teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for week fourteen: UCLA (No. 2), Michigan (No. 7), Ohio State (No. 8), Michigan State (No. 13), Iowa (No. 15), Maryland (No. 20), and Washington (No. 25). Minnesota and Illinois also received votes.
UCLA set new program records by winning twenty-three consecutive games during the previous season—twenty-two of those by double digits—and are currently on another seventeen-game win streak since their only loss to Texas on November 26.
The roster includes seven McDonald’s All Americans: Lauren Betts, Sienna Betts, Angela Dugalić, Timea Gardiner, Gabriela Jaquez, Amanda Muse, and Kiki Rice; Jaquez and Rice were co-MVPs in their all-star appearance.
Four players average double figures for UCLA: Lauren Betts (16.2 points per game), Kiki Rice (15.3), Gabriela Jaquez (14.3), and Gianna Kneepkens (13.1). Angela Dugalić is close behind at an average of just under ten points per game.
Statistically, UCLA leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.76), total assists (538) and assists per game (22.4), field goal percentage (.518), opponent field goal percentage (.360), rebounding margin (+15.2 RPG—the second best nationally), total rebounds per game (42.6 RPG), scoring margin (+29 points per game) as well as ranking second in three-point shooting percentage (.381).
The Bruins are currently second nationally in NET rankings thanks to thirteen Quad One wins out of fourteen such matchups this year.
Four players have been named to Mid-Season Top Ten lists for major national awards: “Kiki Rice (Lieberman),” “Gianna Kneepkens (Meyers Drysdale),” “Gabriela Jaquez (Miller)” and “Lauren Betts (Leslie).”
