Rice and Jaquez pace Bruins over Arizona

WESTWOOD – The UCLA women’s basketball team celebrated a “joyful win” during the Feb. 9 Black Excellence Game at the Pauley Pavilion, marking an unforgettable evening of triumph and unity.

The Wildcats kicked off the game with a high-energy offensive strategy, led by sophomore Kailyn Gilbert, whose relentless pace kept the Bruins on their feet throughout the first half.

As UCLA gradually found a rhythm to counter their aggressive defense, sophomores Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez emerged as key players, ultimately contributing to UCLA’s victory over Arizona with a final score of 66-58.

Rice ignited the Bruins’ momentum with an impressive 20-point contribution, shooting a stellar 9-of-12 from the field. Jaquez showcased her versatility, tallying 21 points and achieving a career-high 15 rebounds, shooting 8-of-15 from the field in a standout performance.

Jaquez dedicated the win and her big night to her teammates.

“My high-paced offense was really backboned by my teammates,” Jaquez said. “Coach and everyone had great communication and it really let me rotate and focus on crashing the board at any opportunity.”

Both teams also welcomed back formidable players to their lineup. UCLA’s sophomore standout, Lauren Betts, made a triumphant return following an undisclosed medical absence, while Arizona’s dynamic Kailyn Gilbert rejoined the court after sitting out the last three games due to undisclosed non-medical reasons.

With both teams having only eight players active in the rotation, injuries for Arizona left them with a depleted roster. Additionally, UCLA Senior Angela Dugalic and sophomore Lina Sontag’s participation in the women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Brazil contributed to UCLA’s minimal roster.

Despite these setbacks, both coaches emphasized that their players were giving it their all in every play down the stretch even when massively fatigued. UCLA head coach Cori Close emphasized Arizona’s hard passion with both of their limited lineups but reassured that her team needed to lock in on a revised game plan after halftime.

“My ladies were tired but we need to focus on scoring at the rim and to make every moment effective for our possessions,” Close said. “We are getting great looks and passing opportunities in the second half but we need to focus on switches when Arizona has their transition plays.”

This strategy proved to be consistently effective, and the Bruins truly surged ahead after halftime. They widened the gap in the third quarter by holding the Wildcats scoreless for five minutes.

The Bruins capitalized with 21 points on the fast break, and a significant portion of that total came from Rice. She had three explosive layups in the fourth quarter that proved to be decisive in shifting the momentum firmly in UCLA’s favor.

With the recent launch of Rice’s custom Jordan shoes, she has found herself in the spotlight of the media, but coach Close says that it doesn’t distract her and that Rice’s leadership continues to flourish with each game.

“She played 40 minutes, and guarded everyone in any matchup and was phenomenal,” Close said. “She finds a way to make a stop and her charisma adds a lot to the team’s energy that isn’t going to show up on the stat sheet.”

With Arizona coming up short, fifth-year Esmery Martinez led the Wildcats, nearly achieving a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds. In addition, Arizona’s head coach Adia Barnes wanted to highlight that she was proud of “Martinez’s positive and reinforcing leadership” when it came to lifting her team’s spirits after a close ending.

With Gilbert back in the lineup she “truly helped the team flow in the passing lanes and move off rough screens,” Esmery said. Gilbert entered in the second quarter and finished with 14 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

Barnes praised her team’s adaptability in countering UCLA’s potent offense, noting some remarkable defensive techniques employed. However, she emphasized the need for her team to seize opportunities and capitalize on efficient performances during critical moments of the game.

“We had some really positive adjustments,” Barnes said. “We forced them into 20 turnovers and grabbed nine steals, but we struggled in transition offense and made crucial mistakes at pivotal moments.”

Barnes also expressed massive admiration for Jaquez’s performance by providing insight into how she attacked the team’s weaknesses.

“She did a terrific job of converting massive plays and making us pay.” Barnes said. “When we started to focus on how to limit Betts’s defensive efficiency in the paint with our adjusted scheme, Jaquez took advantage of our loss of attention. She started to drive by and get a massive amount of offensive rebounds.”

Despite the uncertainty until tipoff, Betts suited up for the game. This was “essential” for the Bruins because in a post-game interview, both Rice and Jaquez emphasized the significant contribution of Betts to their team chemistry against Arizona.

“It was so exciting to have Lauren back and we were excited for her to be there with us tonight,” Rice said. “Everyone in the locker room was so excited to have her back and we missed her so much and needed her back on the court.”

“Lauren being back was just amazing and with her being on the court, it helps us more than anything,” Jaquez said. “Her presence is a must for this team and we all loved that she could help our team’s defense in a massive manner as usual.”

Betts had four monster blocks and this truly helped the Bruins slow down Arizona’s field goal efficiency with the Wildcats scoring only 8 percent of their shots in the paint.

Arizona aims to bounce back and maintain its drive as they focus on the upcoming Pac-12 tournament, while the UCLA Bruins prepare to commemorate National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

“The team’s charisma has returned and they will be ready to make their fans proud,” Close said.