Kiki Rice scored 17 points and Gabriela Jaquez delivered 10 points in the first quarter, helping the UCLA roll to a 86-46 win over Rutgers Wednesday.
Headlined by first and third quarter dominance, No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (22-1, 12-0 Big Ten) picked up a 86-46 win over Rutgers (9-14, 1-11) at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.
Kiki Rice led the way for the Bruins with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Gabriela Jaquez got things started with 10 points in the first quarter.
Rutgers, playing without its two leading scorers in Nene Ndiaye and Imani Lester, committed 18 turnovers that the Bruins converted into 25 points.
During the Bruins’ first possession of the game, Rice stepped back from the three-point line, shooting an air ball. But she followed that miss with the Bruins’ next three scores from the field, all three coming off the break.
And while the Scarlet Knights got on the scoreboard first with a three pointer, they missed five layups and gave up five turnovers, with the Bruins taking advantage for 11 points in the quarter. The Scarlet Knights’ six first-quarter points were the fewest scored by a Bruin opponent in the first period this season.
UCLA jumped out to a 26-6 lead over the Scarlet Knights by the end of the first quarter, but it couldn’t extend that lead in the second, only scoring 14 points to Rutgers' 13.
The Bruins also struggled to hold onto the ball in the second quarter, committing seven turnovers — although the Scarlet Knights only scored three points off the miscues. And while UCLA went 3 for 8 on three pointers in the first period, they couldn’t bury one in the second off five attempts.
UCLA struggled to separate itself from Rutgers during the fourth quarter when the Bruins substituted in their bench players. UCLA was outscored 19-18 in the final period.
Two-thirds of the way through conference play, UCLA has six games remaining before the Big Ten tournament, with a game at No. 8 Michigan at noon PST Sunday next on its docket.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Category: General Sports
