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2025–26 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team
| 2025–26 UCLA Bruins women's basketball |
|---|
| Big Ten Conference |
| No. 1 |
| No. 1 |
| 37–1 (18–0 Big Ten) |
| Cori Close (15th season) |
| Tony Newnan |
| Tasha Brown |
| Soh Matsuura |
| James Clark |
| Michaela Onyenwere |
| Pauley Pavilion |
2025-26 UCLA Women's Basketball Team at Minnesota January 14, 2026
2025-26 UCLA Bruins Women's Basketball Team at the Big Ten Tournament Championship March 8, 2026
NCAA Championship tournament MOP Lauren Betts
The 2025–26 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins were led by head coach Cori Close in her fifteenth year, and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins went 37–1 and won the program's second women's basketball national championship, and the first basketball championship in the NCAA era.
In the preseason, the Bruins were voted the favorite to win the Big Ten conference, with senior center Lauren Betts named the 2025-26 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Betts and senior guard Kiki Rice were named to the All-Big Ten preseason conference team. Laren Betts was named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America team. In November 2025, the first month of the season, the Bruins faced ranked teams in Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee, going 3-1, and won their other games, to establish their ranking in the top 5. Past the mid-point of the conference schedule at the end of January 2026, the Bruins had defeated 10 conference teams, including four ranked teams, to solidify a number 2 national ranking. The entire starting lineup was projected to be taken in the first round of the WNBA draft. The Bruins clinched a share of the Big Ten conference title on February 19, 2026 by defeating Washington.
The Bruins won the outright regular season Big Ten conference championship on February 22 against Wisconsin on Senior night. They finished the conference season undefeated on March 1, 2026 with a win at USC. Seeded number 1 in the Big Ten tournament, the Bruins won all three games, concluding with a tournament record-setting win over number 8 ranked Iowa. For the NCAA tournament, the Bruins were the number 2 seed overall and number one in the Sacramento region. Reaching the final four, the Bruins won the re-match with the Texas Longhorns, the one loss they experienced all season. In a dominating performance, UCLA defeated South Carolina 79-51 in the national championship game. All six senior players were selected in the 2026 WNBA draft, five in the first round, setting a record.
The Bruins finished the 2024–25 season with a 34–3 record, including 16–2 in Big Ten play to finish in second place to USC. UCLA proceeded to beat USC in the 2025 Big Ten conference tournament to win the championship. They were ranked No. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history. They received the number 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and reached their first NCAA Final Four game, where they were eliminated by the eventual national champion UConn. A documentary named You See LA produced by Fox Sports was broadcast on March 1, 2026 on FS1 immediately following the 2026 UCLA-USC women's basketball game. The episode includes footage from games and post-game locker room team meetings, team gatherings, and interviews.
In the offseason, the Bruins did not lose any players to graduation. Charlisse Leger-Walker entered the lineup following a 650-day recovery from an ACL injury she suffered while playing against the Bruins for Washington State before her transfer. The team was joined by Lauren Betts' younger sister Sienna, Gianna Kneepkens, who transferred from Utah, and Megan Grant, a member of the UCLA Softball team. New recruit Lena Bilić earned a medal at FIBA summer international play representing Croatia, while Sienna Betts and Gianna Kneepkens also earned medals for UCLA. The Bruins also signed Christina Karamouzi from Sweden. With six senior starters available, Angela Dugalić asked to come off the bench.
The entire highly ranked 2024–25 freshman recruiting class, along with Janiah Barker and Londynn Jones, entered the transfer portal within days following the end of the season. They wanted more playing time and larger roles within the team. Elina Aarnisalo, who transferred to North Carolina, would have played significant minutes. The Bruin team would play all six of the teams of the transfers during the season and defeat them.
Former player Michaela Onyenwere became part of the coaching staff of the 2025-26 team.
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janiah Barker | 0 | F | 6'4" | Junior | Marietta, GA | Transferred to Tennessee |
| Avary Cain | 2 | G | 6'1" | Freshman | Santa Maria, CA | Transferred to Oregon |
| Londynn Jones | 3 | G | 5'4" | Junior | Riverside, CA | Transferred to USC |
| Zania Socka-Ngumen | 6 | F | 6'3" | Freshman | Silver Spring, MD | Transferred to Indiana |
| Elina Aarnisalo | 7 | G | 5'10" | Freshman | Helsinki, Finland | Transferred to North Carolina |
| Kendall Dudley | 22 | F | 6'2" | Freshman | Lewisville, TX | Transferred to Michigan |
| Name | Position | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megan Grant | G/F | 5'10" | Senior | San Mateo, CA | UCLA (softball) |
| Gianna Kneepkens | G | 6'0" | Senior | Duluth, MN | Utah |
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sienna Betts F | Centennial, CO | Grandview High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | N/A | November 13, 2024 |
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (98) | |||||
| Lena Bilić G | Zagreb, Croatia | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A | November 13, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | |||||
| Christina Karamouzi G | Sweden | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A | July 8, 2025 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | |||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | |||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. | |||||
| In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. | |||||
| Sources: |
Seven of the team members had been named to the McDonald's All-American Game team before coming to UCLA: Lauren Betts, Sienna Betts, Angela Dugalić, Timea Gardiner, Gabriela Jaquez, Amanda Muse, and Kiki Rice. Rice, Jaquez, and Sienna Betts were game MVPs. Both Sienna Betts and Timea Gardiner were out with injuries in November. Gardiner elected to redshirt for the 2025-26 season.
| Datetime, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2025*7:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 3 | vs. San Diego State Orange County Hoops Classic | W 77–53 | 1–0 | 21 – L. Betts | 11 – Jaquez | 5 – Tied | Honda Center Anaheim, CA |
| November 6, 2025*11:30 a.m., B1G+ | No. 3 | UC Santa Barbara | W 87–50 | 2–0 | 21 – Jaquez | 8 – Rice | 7 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (6,863)Los Angeles, CA |
| November 10, 2025*7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 3 | vs. No. 6 Oklahoma | W 73–59 | 3–0 | 20 – Kneepkens | 15 – Dugalic | 6 – Rice | Golden 1 Center (1,463)Sacramento, CA |
| November 13, 2025*6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 3 | vs. No. 11 North Carolina WBCA Challenge | W 78–60 | 4–0 | 20 – L. Betts | 10 – Tied | 7 – L. Betts | Michelob Ultra Arena (1,588)Paradise, NV |
| November 15, 2025*6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 3 | vs. South Florida WBCA Challenge | W 94–61 | 5–0 | 17 – Jaquez | 8 – L. Betts | 7 – Leger-Walker | Michelob Ultra Arena (2,116)Paradise, NV |
| November 23, 2025*2:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 3 | Southern | W 88–37 | 6–0 | 20 – Dugalic | 8 – Tied | 7 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (3,712)Los Angeles, CA |
| November 26, 2025*11:00 a.m., TruTV | No. 3 | vs. No. 4 Texas Players Era Festival semifinals | L 65–76 | 6–1 | 17 – Tied | 7 – L. Betts | 3 – Tied | Michelob Ultra Arena Paradise, NV |
| November 27, 2025*7:30 p.m., TruTV | No. 3 | vs. Duke Players Era Festival Consolation Game | W 89–59 | 7–1 | 23 – Jaquez | 8 – Dugalic | 6 – Tied | Michelob Ultra Arena Paradise, NV |
| November 30, 2025*1:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 3 | No. 14 Tennessee | W 99–77 | 8–1 | 29 – Jaquez | 11 – Rice | 11 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (5,639)Los Angeles, CA |
| December 7, 202512:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 4 | Oregon | W 80–59 | 9–1(1–0) | 24 – L. Betts | 14 – L. Betts | 8 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (3,889)Los Angeles, CA |
| December 16, 2025*7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 4 | Cal Poly | W 115–28 | 10–1 | 23 – Rice | 10 – L. Betts | 7 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (3,110)Los Angeles, CA |
| December 20, 2025*2:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 4 | Long Beach State | W 106–44 | 11–1 | 17 – Tied | 10 – Kneepkens | 10 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (3,428)Los Angeles, CA |
| December 28, 202511:00 a.m., BTN | No. 4 | at No. 19 Ohio State | W 82–75 | 12–1(2–0) | 18 – L. Betts | 16 – L. Betts | 4 – Tied | Value City Arena (8,455)Columbus, OH |
| December 31, 202511:00 a.m., Peacock | No. 4 | at Penn State | W 97–61 | 13–1(3–0) | 25 – L. Betts | 7 – Tied | 8 – Leger-Walker | Rec Hall (2,189)State College, PA |
| January 3, 20265:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 4 | No. 17 USC Rivalry | W 80–46 | 14–1(4–0) | 18 – L. Betts | 12 – L. Betts | 8 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (11,241)Los Angeles, CA |
| January 11, 20264:00 p.m., BTN | No. 4 | at No. 25 Nebraska | W 83–61 | 15–1(5–0) | 18 – L. Betts | 10 – L. Betts | 6 – Kneepkens | Pinnacle Bank Arena (6,110)Lincoln, NE |
| January 14, 20265:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 3 | at Minnesota | W 76–58 | 16–1(6–0) | 25 – Rice | 10 – L. Betts | 5 – Rice | Williams Arena (4,374)Minneapolis, MN |
| January 18, 20261:00 p.m., NBC | No. 3 | No. 12 Maryland | W 97–67 | 17–1(7–0) | 22 – Jaquez | 8 – Dugalić | 8 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (8,721)Los Angeles, CA |
| January 21, 20267:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 3 | Purdue | W 96–48 | 18–1(8–0) | 25 – Jaquez | 10 – Tied | 5 – L. Betts | Pauley Pavilion (3,759)Los Angeles, CA |
| January 25, 20261:00 p.m., BTN | No. 3 | at Northwestern | W 80–46 | 19–1(9–0) | 19 – Jaquez | 10 – Rice | 8 – Rice | Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,894)Evanston, IL |
| January 28, 20264:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 2 | at Illinois | W 80–67 | 20–1(10–0) | 23 – L. Betts | 9 – L. Betts | 5 – Rice | State Farm Center (4,756)Champaign, IL |
| February 1, 20261:00 p.m., FOX | No. 2 | No. 8 Iowa | W 88–65 | 21–1(11–0) | 22 – Dugalic | 7 – S. Betts | 7 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (6,917)Los Angeles, CA |
| February 4, 20267:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 2 | Rutgers | W 86–46 | 22–1(12–0) | 17 – Rice | 7 – Tied | 7 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (2,895)Los Angeles, CA |
| February 8, 202612:00 p.m., FOX | No. 2 | at No. 8 Michigan | W 69–66 | 23–1(13–0) | 20 – Rice | 16 – L. Betts | 5 – L. Betts | Crisler Center (6,108)Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 11, 20265:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 2 | at No. 13 Michigan State | W 86–63 | 24–1(14–0) | 22 – L. Betts | 7 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Breslin Center (3,517)East Lansing, MI |
| February 15, 202612:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 2 | Indiana | W 92–48 | 25–1(15–0) | 17 – Rice | 14 – L. Betts | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (5,468)Los Angeles, CA |
| February 19, 20267:00 p.m., BTN | No. 2 | Washington | W 82–67 | 26–1(16–0) | 23 – L. Betts | 8 – L. Betts | 8 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (3,421)Los Angeles, CA |
| February 22, 20262:30 p.m., Peacock | No. 2 | Wisconsin | W 80–60 | 27–1(17–0) | 19 – L. Betts | 14 – L. Betts | 7 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (5,421)Los Angeles, CA |
| March 1, 20263:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 2 | at USC Rivalry | W 73–50 | 28–1(18–0) | 20 – Leger-Walker | 15 – L. Betts | 5 – Tied | Galen Center (8,841)Los Angeles, CA |
| March 6, 20269:00 a.m., BTN | (1) No. 2 | vs. (8) Washington Quarterfinals | W 78–60 | 29–1 | 26 – L. Betts | 8 – L. Betts | 6 – Rice | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (5,146)Indianapolis, IN |
| March 7, 202611:00 a.m., BTN | (1) No. 2 | vs. (5) No. 11 Ohio State Semifinals | W 72–62 | 30–1 | 17 – Rice | 9 – L. Betts | 6 – Leger-Walker | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (6,387)Indianapolis, IN |
| March 8, 202611:15 a.m., CBS | (1) No. 2 | vs. (2) No. 9 Iowa Championship | W 96–45 | 31–1 | 19 – Kneepkens | 7 – Tied | 8 – Rice | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (6,451)Indianapolis, IN |
| March 21, 2026*7:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 S2) No. 2 | (16 S2) Cal Baptist First round | W 96–43 | 32–1 | 22 – L. Betts | 12 – S. Betts | 5 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (7,250)Los Angeles, CA |
| March 23, 2026*7:00 p.m., ESPN | (1 S2) No. 2 | (8 S2) Oklahoma State Second round | W 87–68 | 33–1 | 35 – L. Betts | 9 – L. Betts | 5 – Leger-Walker | Pauley Pavilion (6,114)Los Angeles, CA |
| March 27, 2026*4:41 p.m., ESPN | (1 S2) No. 2 | vs. (4 S2) No. 18 Minnesota Sweet Sixteen | W 80–56 | 34–1 | 21 – Rice | 10 – Dugalić | 8 – Leger-Walker | Golden 1 Center (9,446)Sacramento, CA |
| March 29, 2026*12:00 p.m., ABC | (1 S2) No. 2 | vs. (3 S2) No. 8 Duke Elite Eight | W 70–58 | 35–1 | 23 – L. Betts | 10 – L. Betts | 6 – Leger-Walker | Golden 1 Center (9,627)Sacramento, CA |
| April 3, 2026*6:30 p.m., ESPN | (1 S2) No. 2 | vs. (1 FW3) No. 3 Texas Final Four | W 51–44 | 36–1 | 16 – L. Betts | 11 – L. Betts | 5 – Leger-Walker | Mortgage Matchup Center (15,856)Phoenix, AZ |
| April 5, 2026*12:30 p.m., ABC | (1 S2) No. 2 | vs. (1 S4) No. 4 South Carolina National Championship | W 79–51 | 37–1 | 21 – Jaquez | 11 – L. Betts | 5 – Tied | Mortgage Matchup Center (15,856)Phoenix, AZ |
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S2=Sacramento 2. FW3=Fort Worth 3. All times are in Pacific Time. Source: |
Sources: 2025-26 UCLA Bruins Women's basketball Schedule UCLA Athletic Communications Office Website at uclabruins.com
*AP did not release a week 8 poll.
- November 18, 2025 – UCLA was the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Team of the Week
- December 1, 2025 – Gabriela Jaquez was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week
- December 8, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week
- December 9, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named AP Player of the Week
- January 5, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week
- February 6, 2026 - Four Bruins were named to the Mid-Season Top 10 lists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and WBCA Starting 5 awards: Kiki Rice (Nancy Lieberman Award), Gianna Kneepkens (Ann Meyers Drysdale Award), Gabriela Jaquez (Cheryl Miller Award), and Lauren Betts (Lisa Leslie Award).
- February 9, 2026 – Kiki Rice was named the Big Ten Conference Co-player of the Week
- March 1, 2026 – The team won the 2025-26 Big Ten conference regular season with an 18-0 record, and a Number 1 seed in the 2026 Big Ten women's basketball tournament. This is the first undefeated conference season for the Bruins since they began play in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten conference since the 2014–15 Maryland Terrapins women's basketball team. The Bruins are only the fourth team in the Big Ten to do so following the Terrapins, The 1984-85 Ohio State Buckeyes and the 1998-99 Purdue Boilermakers.
- March 3, 2026 – Big Ten Post Season honors were selected separately by coaches and media
- Cori Close was named Big Ten Coach of the Year (coaches and media)
- Lauren Betts was named Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year (coaches and media, and the first time in conference history a player was honored with both)
- Angela Dugalić was named Big Ten Conference Sixth Player of the Year (coaches and media)
- Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice were named to the media and coaches All-Big Ten First Team (coaches and media)
- Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens were named to the media All-Big Ten Second Team, with Gabriela also named to the coaches All-Big Ten Second team
- Sienna Betts was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team
- March 5, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named to the Athletic All-America first team
- March 8, 2026 – The Bruins won the 2026 Big Ten women's basketball tournament This gave them an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament in which the Bruins were selected the number 2 seed overall and number one in the Sacramento region.
- Kiki Rice was named the Big Ten Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player
- Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts were named to the Big Ten All–Tournament team
- New tournament records were set in the championship game by the UCLA Bruins in the victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes, including the largest margin of victory in a Big Ten Tournament Final, the highest shooting percentage by a team in any Big Ten Tournament game, the most assists in any Big Ten Tournament game with 34, and tying the record for most steals in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game with 15.
- The 51 point margin of victory over number 8 ranked Iowa is the highest of any team over a top ten team in the NCAA era.
- March 11, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named both the ESPN 2026 All-American first team and the USA Today All-America first team
- March 16, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named to The Sporting News All-America first team.
- March 17, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named to the USBWA All-America first team. Kiki Rice was named to the USWBA All-America third team.
- March 18, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named to the AP All-America first team. Kiki Rice was named to the AP All-America third team. Gianna Kneepkens was an AP All-America honorable mention.
- March 29, 2026 – Lauren Betts was Most Outstanding Player of the Sacramento 2 regional, and was named to the regional all-tournament team along with Angela Dugalić following the win over Duke to reach the Final Four.
- April 2, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named to the list of 2026 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-Americans Kiki Rice was named a WBCA honorable mention.
- April 4, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named the Lisa Leslie Award winner for the second time
- April 5, 2026 – The Bruins won the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game. Lauren Betts was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship tournament. Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice were named to the Final Four all-tournament team
- April 5, 2026 – Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice were named Sports Illustrated All-Americans, first and second team respectively
- April 6, 2026 - The UCLA Bruins were ranked number one in the final season Associated Press women's basketball poll, the first time in school history. They were also ranked number one in the final season USA Today Coaches poll. Both were unanimous.
- April 28, 2026 – Lauren Betts was named the 2026 Honda Sports Award Winner for basketball, the second Bruin to win the award after Ann Meyers-Drysdale in 1978.
| Year | Round | Pick | Player | NBA Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 4 | Lauren Betts | Washington Mystics |
| 1 | 5 | Gabriela Jaquez | Chicago Sky | |
| 1 | 6 | Kiki Rice | Toronto Tempo | |
| 1 | 9 | Angela Dugalić | Washington Mystics | |
| 1 | 15 | Gianna Kneepkens | Connecticut Sun | |
| 2 | 18 | Charlisse Leger-Walker | Connecticut Sun |
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