Jacq’ed Up: Women’s basketball needs third star to step up, help pick up title this season

The basketball record books are riddled with trios.

Whether it’s Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman for the Chicago Bulls or Kalani Brown, Lauren Cox and Chloe Jackson for reigning NCAA champion Baylor – in basketball, good things come in threes.

And though No. 8 UCLA women’s basketball (14-0, 3-0 Pac-12) has broken the program record for best start to a season, it’s missing that trio.

The Bruins are led by veterans redshirt senior guard Japreece Dean and junior forward Michaela Onyenwere, who are both averaging more than 15 points per game. Dean also boasts a team-high 67 assists – with her average of 5.6 per game ranking 13th in the country – and Onyenwere’s dominance on the glass through her 7.7 rebounds per game and four double-doubles have driven UCLA’s success this season.

No one is doubting the duo’s ability. The question is: If the Bruins are going to make a title run, who will emerge as the necessary third star?

The bad news is, there are just seven games left before UCLA takes on top-five teams in Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State in February.

But the good news is, there are a lot of contenders who could step up.

Junior forward Lauryn Miller’s breakout performance came this year after she started just three games last season and averaged 13.3 minutes per game. This season, Miller has started every game, averaging 22.6 minutes and 7.2 rebounds per game – good for second-most on the team.

Miller has also rounded out the first half of her junior campaign with four double-doubles and 50.9% shooting from the field – both of which are in line with her frontcourt partner Onyenwere’s marks in those categories.

Her drastic improvement from last season should be a good sign of where Miller can go from here, making her a clear contender for a third UCLA star.

But Miller isn’t the only one who has claimed a spot in the Bruins’ starting five.

Freshman guard Charisma Osborne has proven herself worthy of her five-star ranking as a recruit, placing third in minutes played and points scored, behind only Onyenwere and Dean. She has also shown her ability to shoot from distance, posting a team-best 25 made-3s, and her hustle has given her 5.3 rebounds per game to cap it off.

Osborne posted her first career double-double against USC, logging 12 points and 10 rebounds, but the freshman has yet to solidify herself as a conference leader alongside Onyenwere and Dean.

Osborne is just a freshman, but compare her stat line to Dean’s four years ago – when she led freshmen in the Big-12 in points per game, free throw percentage, assists and assist to turnover ratio – and it’s clear Osborne has room to improve if she wants to be the next star point guard in Westwood.

Osborne may need more time to get experience under her belt, especially in comparison to the Bruins’ fifth starter, redshirt sophomore guard Lindsey Corsaro.

While she hasn’t been a standout so far this season – sitting well behind the other starters, averaging 7.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game – Corsaro has the experience necessary to perform in high-level games, starting 34 of 35 games last year and averaging the second-most minutes on the team.

Corsaro’s stat line is mediocre for a starting guard, but her defensive ability has been crucial for UCLA.

Even beyond the starters, the Bruins have a bench packed with star potential.

Redshirt junior guard Natalie Chou, a transfer from Baylor, has yet to stand out in Westwood, but has all the talent needed to do so. Sophomore guard Kiara Jefferson has been a lockdown defender off the bench for the Bruins, and junior guard Chantel Horvat returned from an injury and posted her first career double-double against No. 18 Arizona.

So far, Onyenwere, Dean and a slew of supporting players have been enough to keep UCLA’s perfect record. But having a deep roster of almost-elite players won’t help the Bruins come the postseason, or even the back half of their Pac-12 slate.

UCLA needs someone to step up, and the clock is ticking.