Sunday, January 26
College Park, MD
11 a.m.
UCLA
at
No. 8 Maryland
Photo by: Caren Nicdao
No. 1 UCLA Wraps East Coast Swing at No. 8 Maryland Sunday
January 25, 2025 | Women's Basketball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – No. 1 UCLA Women's Basketball (19-0, 7-0 B1G) finishes its weeklong East Coast road trip on Sunday against No. 8 Maryland (16-3, 6-2 B1G).
The top-10 matchup will be broadcast to NBC on Jan. 26; the game will tip off shortly after 11 a.m. PT. UCLA has won 19-consecutive games this season; Maryland is coming off back-to-back losses against No. 7 Texas (L, 89-51) at the Coretta Scott King Classic and at No. 12 Ohio State (L, 74-66) in Columbus, Ohio.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: XFINITY Center
Location: College Park, Md.
Tip-off Time: 11 a.m. PT
TV: NBC
TV Talent: Zora Stephenson, LaChina Robinson, Caroline Pineda
Radio: UCLA Digital Radio
Radio Talent: Dave Marcus
MATCHUP HISTORY: vs. MARYLAND TERRAPINS
• Sunday's matchup will be the ninth meeting in the all-time series, the first since the 2019 NCAA Tournament (W, 85-80).
• Maryland leads the series 5-3; the Bruins are 0-1 in College Park, losing the Nov. 23, 2008 matchup 88-65.
LAST TIME OUT: W, 84-66 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Thursday, Jan. 23)
• No. 1 UCLA claimed victory number two on its East Coast road swing against Rutgers Thursday.
• Junior Lauren Betts led the way once again with 25 points (12-16 FG), 13 rebounds and five blocks against the Scarlet Knights. Betts finished the first quarter shooting 2-for-5 from the field, she shot 10-of-11 over the final three quarters.
• Junior Kiki Rice also joined Betts in club double-double, scoring 10 points and dishing 10 assists with only one turnover.
• Londynn Jones (12 points, 4-8 3FG) and Angela Dugalić (11 points, 2-2 3FG) also got into double digit scoring.
SCOUTING REPORT: THE TERPS
• Junior Kaylene Smikle leads Maryland in scoring, putting up 17.8 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting. Smikle has made 93 of her 114 free throws on the year; she ranks second in makes and fourth in attempts in the conference.
• Senior Shyanne Sellers is coming off a Big Ten Player of the Week honor; Sellers is averaging 14.2 points, 4.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game this season. The junior is shooting .503 from the field.
• The Terps are without junior Bri McDaniel due to a torn ACL, Maryland announced Monday. McDaniel was the Terrapins' third-leading scorer with 10.6 points per game.
• Maryland leads the Big Ten in free throw makes (343) and attempts (463), good for a team shooting percentage of 74.1. The Terps have attempted 160 more shots at the charity stripe than their opponents this season.
WHAT'S BRUIN
• UCLA claims three of the top 25 rebounding spots in the new conference: L. Betts (4th - 10.1 RPG), J. Barker (19th - 6.9 RPG), A. Dugalić (25th - 6.1). The team ranks 4th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (46.0 RPG) and 1st in rebounding margin (+17.1) while leading the conference in all rebounding statistical categories.
• The Bruins have four players with 100+ rebounds on the season, all of whom are averaging 5+ RPG: Betts (171 REB), Barker (131 REB), Dugalić (104 REB) and Gabriela Jaquez (5.6 RPG, 100 REB).
• UCLA is the only NCAA Division I program that remains undefeated after No. 5 LSU fell to No. 2 South Carolina on Jan. 24.
• The Bruins are among the top five in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2nd - 1.41), bench points (5th - 24.9 PPG), blocks (3rd - 5.1 BPG), scoring margin (2nd - +28.1), scoring offense (4th - 82.4 PPG) and defense (2nd - 54.4 OPPG).
• The Bruins have led wire-to-wire in 13 of the 19 matchups and have claimed four ranked wins this season.
• UCLA has 18-consecutive wins by a double-digit margin, the longest streak in program history. The previous record was 15 during the 1977-78 AIAW Championship season.
I'LL HAVE THE NO. 1, PLEASE
• UCLA claimed the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Women's Basketball Poll after defeating then-No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 24. The Bruins have sat atop the AP poll for nine weeks, setting the record for the longest streak at No. 1 for a Big Ten WBB program in conference history.
• As a team, the Bruins rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in seven statistical categories: assists per game (21.2 APG), field goal percentage (.493 FG%), field goal percentage defense (.331 DFG%), rebound margin (+17.1), defensive rebounds (30.7 DRPG), offensive rebounds (15.3 ORPG) and rebounds per game (46.0 RPG). UCLA has only been outrebounded once this season season (Dec. 8 at Washington, 32-30).
• The Bruins rank second in the nation in defensive field goal percentage - holding opponents to .331 FG% on the year - and first in rebounding margin. The Bruins have won all but one game by 10+ points this year (W, vs. No. 17 Louisville: 66-59).
• Betts leads the Big Ten in offensive boards per game (4.5) and Rice has the best A/TO ratio in the league (2.96).
CENTER COURT
• Lauren Betts is currently 2nd in the Big Ten in scoring (20.3 PPG); rival JuJu Watkins from USC sits atop the leaderboard with 24.8 PPG. The center is shooting .623 from the field (8th - NCAA, 3rd - B1G).
• The center is also a centerpiece to the Bruin defense and has 21 blocks over the last three games; Betts set the UCLA single-game blocks record with 9 against No. 25 Baylor on Monday, Jan. 20, at the Coretta Scott King Classic. She has 50 blocks through 17 appearances; Betts finished 2023-24 with 59 blocks in 29 games, which ranked third all-time for a Bruin in one season. Monique Billings holds the program record with 66 blocks in 2016-17 (34 GP).
• Betts has 11 double-doubles on the season; five of her last six have been with 20+ points. The center has scored 20+ points in four of UCLA's last five wins.
• The center averages 28.9 minutes per game, which ranks 33rd in the Big Ten. She ranks fourth in total points (345), sixth in rebouns (171), first in blocks (50) and second in field goals made (149) in the conference.
PLUG IN THE RICE COOKER
• Junior Kiki Rice has improved her shooting by 11 percentage points since the end of last season (2023-24: .449 FG%, current: .561 FG%). Rice is also shooting at an improved clip from long distance, knocking down 15-of-40 attempts so far (.375 3FG%). The PG is UCLA's second-leading scorer (12.8 PPG), and would rank 4th in Big Ten in FG% (min. 5 FGM/G, Rice: 4.9 FGM/G).
• Rice had 10 assists and only one turnover against Rutgers on Jan. 23. Her 2.96 A/TO ratio has her first in the new league and ranks 10th in the NCAA. She's led the Bruins in assists in seven of her 16 appearances this season.
• The PG has improved her three-point shooting by a significant margin; she has surpassed her freshman totals from long distance and jumped 16 percentage points since her Bruin debut (current: .375 3FG%; 2022-23: .217 3FG%).
ALL GAS GABS
• Junior Gabriela Jaquez does not make mistakes. She has three turnovers over the last seven games, and only 16 turnovers in 18 games played. Jaquez hasn't had more than one turnover in a game since playing Long Beach (3 TO, Dec. 14).
• Jaquez has also improved her efficiency on the offensive end; the junior is shooting .562 from the field (77-137 FG) and .326 from distance (14-43 3FG).
THREE-POINT THREATS
• Juniors Londynn Jones and Timea Gardiner and grad student Angela Dugalić have helped the Bruins spread the floor when opposing teams send double and triple teams at Betts in the post.
• Jones, who set the UCLA single-season 3-point makes record in 2023-24 (87 3FGM), leads the Bruins with 37 makes from long range through 19 games. The junior has played 90-consecutive games in her career; she hasn't missed a contest yet.
• Gardiner started the year with a scorching performance in Paris, shooting 5-of-7 against then-No. 17 Louisville. She recorded a 7-for-12 shooting performance against Arkansas to set a new career-high in points (23) and 3FGM (7). The junior transfer is shooting a team-leading .388 from 3-point land (31-80 3FG).
• Dugalić is shooting .368 from distance (14-38 3FG), providing a long-range threat as a stretch four.
The top-10 matchup will be broadcast to NBC on Jan. 26; the game will tip off shortly after 11 a.m. PT. UCLA has won 19-consecutive games this season; Maryland is coming off back-to-back losses against No. 7 Texas (L, 89-51) at the Coretta Scott King Classic and at No. 12 Ohio State (L, 74-66) in Columbus, Ohio.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: XFINITY Center
Location: College Park, Md.
Tip-off Time: 11 a.m. PT
TV: NBC
TV Talent: Zora Stephenson, LaChina Robinson, Caroline Pineda
Radio: UCLA Digital Radio
Radio Talent: Dave Marcus
MATCHUP HISTORY: vs. MARYLAND TERRAPINS
• Sunday's matchup will be the ninth meeting in the all-time series, the first since the 2019 NCAA Tournament (W, 85-80).
• Maryland leads the series 5-3; the Bruins are 0-1 in College Park, losing the Nov. 23, 2008 matchup 88-65.
LAST TIME OUT: W, 84-66 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Thursday, Jan. 23)
• No. 1 UCLA claimed victory number two on its East Coast road swing against Rutgers Thursday.
• Junior Lauren Betts led the way once again with 25 points (12-16 FG), 13 rebounds and five blocks against the Scarlet Knights. Betts finished the first quarter shooting 2-for-5 from the field, she shot 10-of-11 over the final three quarters.
• Junior Kiki Rice also joined Betts in club double-double, scoring 10 points and dishing 10 assists with only one turnover.
• Londynn Jones (12 points, 4-8 3FG) and Angela Dugalić (11 points, 2-2 3FG) also got into double digit scoring.
SCOUTING REPORT: THE TERPS
• Junior Kaylene Smikle leads Maryland in scoring, putting up 17.8 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting. Smikle has made 93 of her 114 free throws on the year; she ranks second in makes and fourth in attempts in the conference.
• Senior Shyanne Sellers is coming off a Big Ten Player of the Week honor; Sellers is averaging 14.2 points, 4.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game this season. The junior is shooting .503 from the field.
• The Terps are without junior Bri McDaniel due to a torn ACL, Maryland announced Monday. McDaniel was the Terrapins' third-leading scorer with 10.6 points per game.
• Maryland leads the Big Ten in free throw makes (343) and attempts (463), good for a team shooting percentage of 74.1. The Terps have attempted 160 more shots at the charity stripe than their opponents this season.
WHAT'S BRUIN
• UCLA claims three of the top 25 rebounding spots in the new conference: L. Betts (4th - 10.1 RPG), J. Barker (19th - 6.9 RPG), A. Dugalić (25th - 6.1). The team ranks 4th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (46.0 RPG) and 1st in rebounding margin (+17.1) while leading the conference in all rebounding statistical categories.
• The Bruins have four players with 100+ rebounds on the season, all of whom are averaging 5+ RPG: Betts (171 REB), Barker (131 REB), Dugalić (104 REB) and Gabriela Jaquez (5.6 RPG, 100 REB).
• UCLA is the only NCAA Division I program that remains undefeated after No. 5 LSU fell to No. 2 South Carolina on Jan. 24.
• The Bruins are among the top five in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2nd - 1.41), bench points (5th - 24.9 PPG), blocks (3rd - 5.1 BPG), scoring margin (2nd - +28.1), scoring offense (4th - 82.4 PPG) and defense (2nd - 54.4 OPPG).
• The Bruins have led wire-to-wire in 13 of the 19 matchups and have claimed four ranked wins this season.
• UCLA has 18-consecutive wins by a double-digit margin, the longest streak in program history. The previous record was 15 during the 1977-78 AIAW Championship season.
I'LL HAVE THE NO. 1, PLEASE
• UCLA claimed the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Women's Basketball Poll after defeating then-No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 24. The Bruins have sat atop the AP poll for nine weeks, setting the record for the longest streak at No. 1 for a Big Ten WBB program in conference history.
• As a team, the Bruins rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in seven statistical categories: assists per game (21.2 APG), field goal percentage (.493 FG%), field goal percentage defense (.331 DFG%), rebound margin (+17.1), defensive rebounds (30.7 DRPG), offensive rebounds (15.3 ORPG) and rebounds per game (46.0 RPG). UCLA has only been outrebounded once this season season (Dec. 8 at Washington, 32-30).
• The Bruins rank second in the nation in defensive field goal percentage - holding opponents to .331 FG% on the year - and first in rebounding margin. The Bruins have won all but one game by 10+ points this year (W, vs. No. 17 Louisville: 66-59).
• Betts leads the Big Ten in offensive boards per game (4.5) and Rice has the best A/TO ratio in the league (2.96).
CENTER COURT
• Lauren Betts is currently 2nd in the Big Ten in scoring (20.3 PPG); rival JuJu Watkins from USC sits atop the leaderboard with 24.8 PPG. The center is shooting .623 from the field (8th - NCAA, 3rd - B1G).
• The center is also a centerpiece to the Bruin defense and has 21 blocks over the last three games; Betts set the UCLA single-game blocks record with 9 against No. 25 Baylor on Monday, Jan. 20, at the Coretta Scott King Classic. She has 50 blocks through 17 appearances; Betts finished 2023-24 with 59 blocks in 29 games, which ranked third all-time for a Bruin in one season. Monique Billings holds the program record with 66 blocks in 2016-17 (34 GP).
• Betts has 11 double-doubles on the season; five of her last six have been with 20+ points. The center has scored 20+ points in four of UCLA's last five wins.
• The center averages 28.9 minutes per game, which ranks 33rd in the Big Ten. She ranks fourth in total points (345), sixth in rebouns (171), first in blocks (50) and second in field goals made (149) in the conference.
PLUG IN THE RICE COOKER
• Junior Kiki Rice has improved her shooting by 11 percentage points since the end of last season (2023-24: .449 FG%, current: .561 FG%). Rice is also shooting at an improved clip from long distance, knocking down 15-of-40 attempts so far (.375 3FG%). The PG is UCLA's second-leading scorer (12.8 PPG), and would rank 4th in Big Ten in FG% (min. 5 FGM/G, Rice: 4.9 FGM/G).
• Rice had 10 assists and only one turnover against Rutgers on Jan. 23. Her 2.96 A/TO ratio has her first in the new league and ranks 10th in the NCAA. She's led the Bruins in assists in seven of her 16 appearances this season.
• The PG has improved her three-point shooting by a significant margin; she has surpassed her freshman totals from long distance and jumped 16 percentage points since her Bruin debut (current: .375 3FG%; 2022-23: .217 3FG%).
ALL GAS GABS
• Junior Gabriela Jaquez does not make mistakes. She has three turnovers over the last seven games, and only 16 turnovers in 18 games played. Jaquez hasn't had more than one turnover in a game since playing Long Beach (3 TO, Dec. 14).
• Jaquez has also improved her efficiency on the offensive end; the junior is shooting .562 from the field (77-137 FG) and .326 from distance (14-43 3FG).
THREE-POINT THREATS
• Juniors Londynn Jones and Timea Gardiner and grad student Angela Dugalić have helped the Bruins spread the floor when opposing teams send double and triple teams at Betts in the post.
• Jones, who set the UCLA single-season 3-point makes record in 2023-24 (87 3FGM), leads the Bruins with 37 makes from long range through 19 games. The junior has played 90-consecutive games in her career; she hasn't missed a contest yet.
• Gardiner started the year with a scorching performance in Paris, shooting 5-of-7 against then-No. 17 Louisville. She recorded a 7-for-12 shooting performance against Arkansas to set a new career-high in points (23) and 3FGM (7). The junior transfer is shooting a team-leading .388 from 3-point land (31-80 3FG).
• Dugalić is shooting .368 from distance (14-38 3FG), providing a long-range threat as a stretch four.
Players Mentioned
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