No. 8/9 UCLA Heads to Utah for First Conference Road Test

SOCIAL MEDIA: WBB on Twitter | WBB on Facebook | WBB on Instagram

GAME INFORMATION
No. 8/9 UCLA (14-0, 3-0) vs. Utah (7-7, 0-3)
Date: Friday, Jan. 10
Time: 7:00 p.m. MT / 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah (Jon M. Huntsman Center)
Watch: Pac-12 Network
Listen: Live Audio (Play-By-Play: Dave Marcus)
Statistics: Live Stats

GAME PREVIEW

UCLA (14-0, 3-0) hits the road for its first Conference road trip of the season, taking on Utah (7-7, 0-3) at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

The Utes enter the night at 7-7, but recorded a five-game non-league winning streak before the start of Conference play. Freshman forward Lola Pendande has impressed in her debut campaign, as she has registered 10 double-digit scoring performance and is leading the Utes in scoring. Sophomore guard Dru Gylten has been the primary facilitator for Utah and is leading the team in assists with 4.3 per contest. One of Utah's offensive strength's is its proficiency from beyond the arc. The Utes are tied for third in the Conference with 115 made three-pointers this year.

The Bruins are riding a 14-game series winning streak over Utah ahead of the 19th all-time meeting between the programs. UCLA holds a strong series advantage at 15-3 and head coach Cori Close is 12-0 against the Utes in her career with the Bruins. UCLA secured a series sweep of the Utes in the last meeting between the teams, taking a 76-70 victory at Pauley on March 1, 2019. Michaela Onyenwere was dominant for the Bruins, putting up 29 points and 13 rebounds on the night. Japreece Dean also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.

UP NEXT
The Bruins finish up their first Conference road weekend of the year with a trip to face Colorado (12-2, 1-2) on Sunday, Jan. 12. The action will be televised on Pac-12 Network with tip-off scheduled for 12:00 p.m. MT / 11:00 a.m. PT.

THE STORYLINES

UCLA (14-0) is off to the best start in program history with 14-straight wins to open the season. The Bruins surpassed the 1980-81 squad's original streak of 12-straight wins to start the year with a 68-66 win over Arizona State (Jan. 3).
The Bruins are 3-0 in Conference play for the first time since 2015-16. A win over Utah would give the Bruins a 4-0 Conference record for the first time since 2012-13.
Since league play began, UCLA is leading the Conference in total points (221), three-pointers per game (9.7), and three-point percentage (.460).
Junior forward Michaela Onyenwere became the 24th player in UCLA history to register 1,000 career points and record 500 rebounds on Dec. 1 at Virginia (1,147 points, 571 rebounds).
The Bruins have won 70 of their last 78 games at Pauley Pavilion, including their last 12 (9-0 this year). UCLA went 11-5 at home last season.
UCLA is in its ninth season under head coach Cori Close, who is 14 wins away from 200 for her career and owns an overall record of 186-99 (.652).
UCLA established a school record in the win over Loyola Marymount (Nov. 9) with 11 assists in the second quarter. It marked the most assists of any quarter for the Bruins.
In 2018-19, Cori Close led UCLA to its fourth-straight 20-win season and fourth-straight trip to the Sweet 16. UCLA joins a list of eight teams in the NCAA that have made the Sweet 16 each of the past four seasons (Baylor, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Oregon State, South Carolina, Stanford, UConn).

BRUINS IN THE POLLS

UCLA is ranked No. 8 in the most recent Associated Press (AP) Poll (Week 10 - Jan. 6, 2020) and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll (Week 10 - Jan. 7, 2020).
UCLA was ranked No. 11 in both the Associated Press (AP) and USA TODAY Coaches preseason polls.
The Bruins are one of five Pac-12 teams ranked in both the AP and USA Today Polls.
The Pac-12 Conference boasts four teams in the top-10 in the AP Poll (No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Oregon State, No. 5 Stanford, and No. 8 UCLA).

BRUINS VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE OF RANKED, UNBEATEN SQUADS

The Bruins snapped the nation's longest active-winning streak in their victory over then-No. 18 Arizona, 70-58, as the Wildcats were 13-0 and had won 19-straight games dating back to their WNIT Championship run last year.
UCLA improved to 14-0 (3-0) and extended its own program record for most consecutive wins to start a season. The game was tied at 31 at halftime, but the Bruins outscored the Wildcats 28-13 in the third quarter en route to the 12-point victory.
Michaela Onyenwere led the way for the Bruins, totaling 18 points and 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Chantel Horvat notched 10 points and 10 rebounds for her first-career double-double.

UCLA MAKES HISTORY IN WIN OVER ARIZONA STATE

The Bruins earned their place in history after defeating Arizona State, 68-66, and moving to 13-0, sealing the best start to a season in program history. The 2019-20 team surpassed the 12-0 mark set by the 1980-81 Bruins.
Japreece dean led a trio of Bruins in double figures with 23 points and added five assists and three rebounds.
Lindsey Corsaro added 12 points while Charisma Osborne chipped in 10 points (all in the first half).
Lauryn Miller put up eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds, her third 10+ rebound performance in the last four games.

UCLA DOWNS USC TO TIE SCHOOL RECORD

The Bruins defeated USC, 83-59 (Dec. 29) to move to 12-0, tied for the most wins to open a season in program history (1980-81).
Junior Michaela Onyenwere and senior Japreece Dean each notched 21 points in the victory. Onyenwere also grabbed eight boards while Dean dished out eight assists and grabbed three steals.
Charisma Osborne recorded her first-career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. The freshman also added two blocks and two steals in the victory.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES PLUS DEAN BEAT INDIANA

Junior Michaela Onyenwere recorded her third double-double and the 19th of her career with 25 points and 11 rebounds as UCLA improved to 11-0 with a 68-58 win at No. 12/14 Indiana (Dec. 22).
Junior Lauryn Miller posted her fourth double-double of the season and of her career with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Senior Japreece Dean registered a season-high 24 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

MILLER'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE BEATS BULLDOGS

Junior Lauryn Miller posted her third double-double of the season and in her career to help UCLA improve to 10-0 on the year with a 59-50 win at Georgia (Dec. 19).
Junior Michaela Onyenwere tallied 19 points and nine rebounds for the second straight game.

BRUIN TRIO TAMES THE TIGERSMILLER'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE BEATS BULLDOGS

Junior Lauryn Miller posted her third double-double of the season and in her career to help UCLA improve to 10-0 on the year with a 59-50 win at Georgia (Dec. 19).
Junior Michaela Onyenwere tallied 19 points and nine rebounds for the second straight game.

BRUIN TRIO TAMES THE TIGERS

Michaela Onyenwere (19 pts, 9 rebs) and Japreece Dean (19 pts, 5 asts) helped UCLA improve to 9-0 on the year with a 68-57 victory over Pacific (Dec. 15).
Freshman Charisma Osborne tied her season-high of 17 points and added a personal-best seven rebounds against the Tigers.

ROSENBLUM RETURNS, ONYENWERE KOs CSUN

Michaela Onyenwere (23 pts, 7 rebs) scored over 20 points for the fourth-straight game, leading UCLA to a 58-44 win at CSUN (Dec. 7).
The game marked the return of Ally Rosenblum, who had not played since the 2017-18 season due to an undisclosed injury. Rosenblum finished the game with three points, one rebound, one steal, and one block in 11 minutes of action.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DUO TAKES DOWN VIRGINIA

Michaela Onyenwere (27 pts, 11 rebs) and Lauryn Miller (14 pts, 10 rebs) led UCLA to a 73-62 win at Virginia (Dec. 1).
The Bruins also received 12 points and six rebounds from Charisma Osborne and 11 points and three assists from Japreece Dean.

OSBORNE HITS GAME-WINNING 3-POINTER VS. UCF

Her only basket of the game was the biggest as Charisma Osborne drained the eventual-game-winning three-pointer with the shot clock expiring and just 0:53 left to propel UCLA to a 61-56 win over UCF (Nov. 30).
Just two Bruins scored in double-figures, led by Michaela Onyenwere's double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Japreece Dean added 19 points and four assists.

DEAN'S TRIPLE-DOUBLE DOOMS YALE

Japreece Dean recorded her first career triple-double, just the eighth in UCLA history, as the Bruins ran over Yale (Nov. 26), 100-65. Dean had 20 points, 10 assists, and a career-high 11 rebounds.
The Bruins had five players in double figures for the only time this season. Joining Dean was Michaela Onyenwere (22), Charisma Osborne (15), Lauryn Miller (14), and Chantel Horvat (11).
The Bruins also made a season-high 10 three-pointers to go with a season-best 29 assists. The 29 assists were the most since UCLA had 29 at Oregon on Feb. 17, 2014. UCLA has only had 29 or more assists on one occasion since 1999 (30 at California on Feb. 19, 2004).

BRUIN TRIO DOWN NORTHERN COLORADO

Natalie Chou led UCLA in scoring for the first time with a season-high 19 points in the blowout win over Northern Colorado (Nov. 22) She also added three rebounds, three assists and two steals against the Bears.
Japreece Dean scored 18 points against UNC. She also tallied seven assists, four boards and two steals.
Lindsey Corsaro registered 16 points, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals in the win over UNC.

DEAN RETURNS, ONYENWERE CRUSHES LBSU

Michaela Onyenwere scored 27 points, including 14 points in the first period, as No. 11 UCLA cruised to an 86-51 win over Long Beach State (Nov. 14). For her efforts, Onyenwere was named the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for Nov. 11-17.
The Bruins scored the first 20 points of the game.
Playing in her first game of the season, senior Japreece Dean tallied a career-high 11 assists and added seven points, eight rebounds and one steal vs. the Beach.
Kiara Jefferson scored 13 points and had three steals and three rebounds while Chantel Horvat registered 11 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action against LBSU.

ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCES AGAINST LMU

All-around performances from several Bruins helped the No. 11 UCLA women's basketball team take down Loyola Marymount 74-52 on Nov. 9.
Lindsey Corsaro matched a career-high of 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting to go along with six assists.
Lauryn Miller collected her first-career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Natalie Chou played a team-high 32 minutes and had five steals and three blocks to go along with 15 points and seven boards.
Chantel Horvat played in her first game since Jan. 11, 2019, and contributed eight points and eight rebounds.

OSBORNE SHINES IN SEASON OPENER

Freshman Charisma Osborne scored a game-high 17 points in her UCLA debut to lead the Bruins to a dominant 85-45 win over Weber State in their season opener on Nov. 5.
Osborne also had five rebounds and four assists.
Three other Bruins scored in double figures: Onyenwere (16), Corsaro (14) and Jefferson (12).
The Bruins also dominated the glass, 48-31, led by Kayla Owens' career-high 13 rebounds.
UCLA improved to 31-15 all-time in season openers.

PROTECTING PAULEY

UCLA has been simply dominant in Westwood, winning 70 of its last 78 games at home (.897).
The Bruins are 9-0 at home this season and have won their last 12 games in Westwood dating back to last season.
The Bruins went 46-3 at home between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

ROAD WARRIORS

UCLA is 4-0 on the road in 2019-20 and has won its last five games on the road. Additionally, UCLA has won seven in a row on the road against unranked teams and two against ranked teams.
UCLA finished 9-3 on the road in 2018-19.
Five of UCLA's nine road triumphs were against ranked opponents.
The Bruins' two top-10 road wins were the most by the program since the 1980-81 season.

ALL-PAC-12 SELECTIONS RETURNING

UCLA returns All-Pac-12 honoree Michaela Onyenwere, the team's top returning scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (8.5 rpg). She eclipsed the 30-point mark at Maryland last season, becoming the second Bruin ever (Nikki Blue) to score at least 30 in the Big Dance and propelling UCLA to its fourth-straight Sweet 16.
Lindsey Corsaro made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2018-19. She averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG and scored a career-high 18 points vs. Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.

FRESH FACES

UCLA's top-10 recruiting class made its debut in Westwood in the win over Weber State on Nov. 5, 2019. The highly-touted includes McDonald's All-Americans, Jaden Owens and Charisma Osborne, as well as 6-2 forward Brynn Masikewich (DNP) and defensive stopper Camryn Brown (DNP).
After redshirting due to NCAA transfer rules (Baylor), Natalie Chou finally had an opportunity to contribute on the court. She played 64 career games (21 starts) for the Lady Bears, averaging 5.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG.

HARD WORK IN THE CLASSROOM

The Bruin women's basketball program notched a 100 percent graduation rate in 2018-19, helping UCLA Athletics tally an all-time high Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 92 percent.

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT

Japreece Dean was named to the Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation's top point guard. A total of 20 point guards were named to the list, five of which came from the Pac-12. This was the most out of any conference in the NCAA. In 2018-19, Dean finished third on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game and ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in assists per game at 4.9. In the final seven games of the season, she registered 16.7 points and 6.6 assists per outing.
Japreece Dean and Michaela Onyenwere made the Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List. A total of 50 players made the list, which will be trimmed to 30 in early February.
Michaela Onyenwere was one of five forwards from the Pac-12 who earned a spot on the Watch List for the 2020 Cheryl Miller Award, which recognizes the top small forward in the country. Last year, she led the Bruins in scoring (18.3 PPG) and ranked second on the team in rebounds (8.5 RPG). Onyenwere hauled in 4.1 offensive boards – good for second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally.
Adding to her list of preseason plaudits, Michaela Onyenwere also made the 2019-20 Preseason 'Wade Watch' List, an award given to the best player in women's college basketball. Last season, the award was given to Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon.
Michaela Onyenwere earned a spot on the Women's Preseason Top 30 Watch List on ESPNW for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy's®. The list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
Michaela Onyenwere was selected among the 35 outstanding players by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its 2019-20 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the National Player of the Year.

ELITE PROGRAM

UCLA eclipsed the 20-win mark and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season under Cori Close.
The Bruins averaged an astounding 17.3 offensive rebounds per game in 2018-19, ranking first in the Pac-12 and second in the NCAA. Over four of those offensive boards came from Michaela Onyenwere, who was 11th in the NCAA in that category.
UCLA took down seven ranked opponents last year.
The Bruins had two top-10 wins, defeating No. 2 Oregon and No. 9 Maryland.
For the fourth-straight season, UCLA finished fourth or higher in the Pac-12 Conference.

Recent Results

Upcoming Events

No. 8/9 UCLA Heads to Utah for First Conference Road Test

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Camryn Brown

Natalie Chou

Lindsey Corsaro

Japreece Dean

Chantel Horvat

Kiara Jefferson

Brynn Masikewich

Lauryn Miller

Michaela Onyenwere

Charisma Osborne

Jaden Owens

Kayla Owens

Ally Rosenblum

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

No. 8/9 UCLA Heads to Utah for First Conference Road Test

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Camryn Brown

Natalie Chou

Lindsey Corsaro

Japreece Dean

Chantel Horvat

Kiara Jefferson

Brynn Masikewich

Lauryn Miller

Michaela Onyenwere

Charisma Osborne

Jaden Owens

Kayla Owens

Ally Rosenblum

Related Videos