UCLA women’s basketball prepares for home games against Bay Area schools

The Bruins’ first conference homestand features two opponents in opposite situations.

No. 11 UCLA women’s basketball (4-1, 2-1 Pac-12) will play its first home conference game this year when it takes on winless California (0-5, 0-2) on Saturday. UCLA will then take on undefeated No. 1 Stanford (5-0, 2-0) on Monday.

Despite the Golden Bears’ winless start to the season, coach Cori Close used last season’s tight win against Cal as a lesson that each game requires the same focus.

“It took overtime last year,” Close said. “If that doesn’t teach you something, I don’t know what will.”

UCLA left with a 74-70 overtime win at Berkeley in the only matchup between the two California schools last season on Feb. 9.

UCLA has won two straight Pac-12 games following a loss in the conference opener against then-No. 7 Arizona (4-0, 3-0). The Bruins’ latest victory was a 73-52 road win against rival USC on Sunday.

Close said she understands the challenge that playing in the Pac-12 brings every single night.

“When you play in the number one conference in the country, you better throw your records out the window because on any given night you can get beat,” Close said. “You prepare the same way for every game so that those kinds of things don’t happen.”

The conference Close calls the best currently has five teams ranked inside the AP top 25, three of which are ranked above No. 11 UCLA in the top 10. The entire country trails the conference’s No. 1 Stanford, a team the Bruins will play in Pauley Pavilion on Monday.

Senior forward Lauryn Miller said she loves experiencing the excitement that comes with playing against the nation’s best team.

“You grow up watching college basketball,” Miller said. “You live for games like that. That’s like a dream position to be in whether you’re number one or the other team is. That’s why you come to UCLA: to get to play in those types of matchups.”

Miller’s 10.2 points per game rank third on the team, and she also ranks third in rebounds per game and second in assists per game, with 5.8 and 3.2, respectively.

Redshirt senior guard Natalie Chou praised Miller’s talents as a leader.

“(Miller) has the highest IQ on the team,” Chou said. “She’s the best communicator because of her high IQ. Not everyone on the team is able to harness their IQ like (Miller) does, and so that’s how she leads.”

Chou, who is averaging 9.6 points per game on 34.8% shooting from the field, came off the bench the past two games after starting in the team’s first three. Regardless of her minutes, Chou said she’s grateful the team is simply playing games this season.

“We’re coming in (with) a heart of gratitude to even be playing,” Chou said. “A couple of months ago, we didn’t even know that we would be having this opportunity to play against Pac-12 teams. It’s amazing.”

When UCLA takes on Stanford on Monday, it will face off against the winningest coach in the sport’s history. On Tuesday, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer passed Pat Summitt for the all-time women’s college basketball wins record. The 104-61 win against Pacific was her 1,099th career victory in 42 seasons as a college coach.

During a Zoom press conference, Close emphasized just how monumental VanDerveer has been for the sport and for the recent success of the Pac-12.

“I don’t believe we’d be having this kind of Zoom with your interest as media members without her trailblazing excellence,” Close said. “If she doesn’t do what she does, we don’t become the number one conference in the country.”

UCLA will square off against Cal at noon on Saturday before taking on Stanford at noon on Monday.