It’s been quite a week for No. 2 UCLA.
On Monday, the Bruins ascended to the highest AP top 25 ranking in program history in taking the second spot. Friday night, the team achieved another milestone in beating No. 6 UConn for the first time in 8 tries, dating back to 1998.
Kiki Rice lead UCLA (5-0) with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Charisma Osborne added 18 points and Lauren Betts put up 13 in the 78-67 win at the Cayman Islands Classic.
Coach Cori Close said her team was well-prepared going into the matchup with the 3-2 Huskies.
“We were confident that if we executed the game plan, we would win,” she said. “The game plan was pretty simple, but we had to do it with consistency: control the rebounds, get inside touches….our offensive rebounds were key.”
Defense was also important.
“Our ability to get stops allowed us to play the way we want to on offense,” Close said.
The Bruins got off to a quick start, and lead by as many as 19 points for the first 15 games minutes before UConn went on a run and cut their lead to 5 at halftime. UCLA began the third period scoring 7 straight points, and outscored their opponents 22-8 to take a 21-point lead into the final frame.
Paige…
