UCLA women blitz Wisconsin on Senior Day, win 21st in a row

The No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team’s toughest opponent on Sunday was the Bruins’ emotions.

The close-knit team honored six transformative seniors — and opponent Wisconsin’s senior class — before the teams played the Bruins’ final regular season home game.

“One of them said the other day, like, ‘I might not ever play on a team like this again,’” coach Cori Close said of her senior class. “I think the combination of the depth of the relationship, excellence on the court, their love of the work — they love to work and get better together — and their connection off the court. … I think these seniors actually do really understand that this is really special. They’ve set a bar for the culture of our program that we will be forever measuring it against.”

UCLA beat Wisconsin 80-60 on Sunday afternoon and became an outright regular season conference champion for the first time in school history.

“I’m so fortunate to coach incredible young women as people and that we’re willing to believe in a vision that we could create together and to be the first team in UCLA history to win a conference championship outright in the regular season,” Close said.

“It’s just humbling to be a part of.”

Lauren Betts recorded a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds — including three offensive boards in quick succession in the fourth quarter — as the Bruins celebrated Betts, Angela Dugalic, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens, Char-lisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice on Senior Day by winning their 21st game in a row. Five Bruins — all seniors — scored in double digits.

UCLA shared the Pac-10 title with Oregon in the 1998-99 season. This team shared the trophy with no one and has a chance to go undefeated in Big Ten play if UCLA can beat crosstown rival USC on Sunday at Galen Center in the regular season finale.

“That’s the reason we all came here is to do things UCLA has never done before and to win a lot of games and win championships, and so super proud of everyone on this team for really putting in the work,” Jaquez said. “…Me and Kiki came here in our freshman year and it’s just been amazing to see the program grow since then.

“And I think that’s also a big credit to our coaches and to all the staff at UCLA to really get the fans out there and support us because we really couldn’t do it without them.”

Jaquez had 14 points and six rebounds in the first half for the Bruins, while the Badgers’ leading scorer, Dorja Iva Zaja, had 10 of her 16 points in the half.

After Jaquez led the way in the first half, Betts took over with a double-double in the second half.

Betts said that with the Senior Day celebrations — in which each graduating player was honored alongside loved ones before the game — she was emotional in the lead-up to tipoff.

“The whole morning I was reflecting on my experience here at UCLA and how grateful I am to be here. The people here have really made this experience so special for me,” Betts said. “I’m so grateful for all of my other seniors who I’ve been able to play with this year and the past years.

“I just love these girls so much, so it’s been a really emotional day. I’m super grateful.”

After jumping out to a 14-4 lead just a little more than three minutes into the game, UCLA (27-1, 17-0 Big Ten) was held scoreless from the field for nearly five minutes, until a Betts basket ended the drought. Wisconsin (13-15, 5-12) cut the lead in half to 16-11 during that stretch, but UCLA extended it to 25-15 to end the first quarter.

The Badgers committed six fouls in the first quarter and the Bruins capitalized for seven points from the free-throw line.

Wisconsin held nearly even with UCLA on the scoreboard in the second quarter, 15-14, while outrebounding the Bruins, 12-9.

The Badgers scored the first five points of the third quarter to tighten the gap to seven, but the Bruins took control from there and led 65-49 by the end of the quarter.

The Bruins won the fourth quarter 15-11 and took time for the crowd to honor their seniors as the quarter came to a close.

Close said that throughout the game she had to balance wanting her team to compete to its standard with allowing her seniors to feel the emotions and enjoy their final regular season home game.

“Transparently, I don’t think we did that as well as we needed to,” Close said. “I had to make the choice to go, OK, there are some moments you just don’t get back, and there are some moments that you just have to have — I as a leader — a little perspective, and this is not the time and the place to deal with that.”

After the game, the Bruins celebrated on the court with the Big Ten trophy.