The quick hands and court vision of Westwood’s rookies led the Bruins to a runaway victory. 

No. 13 UCLA women’s basketball (7-1) overcame Cal State Fullerton (4-3) by a score of 64-41 on Saturday evening, paced by the defensive specialists in freshmen guards Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones and forward Lina Sontag. Rice and Sontag notched a total of six steals while Jones picked the Titans twice. 

The Bruins gained the lead early going on a 10-point run, with five players scoring in the first frame. Despite committing six turnovers, they were able to hold the Titans to two points until one minute remained in the first quarter. 

UCLA out-rebounded Fullerton 14-5 in the first frame, and six of the 14 were picked up on the offensive end. The Bruins rank 15th in the nation for offensive rebounds.

“Our rebounding was elite,” said coach Cori Close. “We got 68% of the offensive opportunities, 92% of the defensive opportunities, 100% of the rebounds in the second half.”

The Titans scored the first points of the second quarter off of UCLA’s seventh turnover of the night. However, Rice quickly responded with back-to-back steals at halfcourt and four points of her own, causing a Titan timeout and stretching the blue and gold’s lead to 12. The Bruins effectively cashed in on their opponent’s mistakes, scoring 10 of their 17 points in the frame on fast-break opportunities. 

UCLA took control on the defensive end at the end of the first half, not allowing Fullerton to score for nearly four and a half minutes, shooting 0-5 from the field. The Bruins entered the locker room with a 31-12 advantage.

“Our defense (in) the first half was excellent,” Close said. “I thought the defense, specifically of (senior guard) Charisma (Osborne) and Kiki (Rice) and Londynn (Jones) was disruptive but disciplined, and that’s something we’ve been really searching for.”

The Titans doubled their first-half scoring output in the third quarter with 14 points, and showcased their full-court press for the first time. The Bruins maintained the lead with the help of their inside players who scored 10 points in the paint and limited the Titans to four rebounds.  

The freshman duo of forward Gabriela Jaquez and Rice closed the quarter with a second-chance three point shot and a layup in the paint for a quick five points, bringing the quarter to a close with a 25-point lead. 

“To get in the passing lanes, get steals, and on a night where we were struggling offensively definitely got us some easy buckets,” Rice said.

The Bruins went quiet for the first four minutes of the first quarter, adding seven turnovers to their season-high 27 on the night. Once again, the freshmen stepped up. Forward Christeen Iwuala ended the drought with a jumper and two points from the charity stripe, before Jones converted an and-one play. 

“I don’t think you see that many teams having that many freshmen play,” Osborne said. “I’m happy they’re able to get playing time and show that they’re more than capable of playing at this level.”

Despite taking an elbow to the face with an intentional foul play, Iwuala stayed on the court and picked up two more points off of a second chance put-back, putting her in double digits with a career-high 10 points for the night. It was the freshman’s first game back after concussion protocol sidelined her for two contests.

“I wanted to give her (Iwuala) a touch after she made those two in the second half,” Close said. “I wanted to just at least get her a touch, and let’s see if we can move the ball enough to try to have some awareness that way.”

The Bruins out-rebounded the Titans 60-16, led by graduate guard Gina Conti and Jaquez who both picked up nine rebounds, a career-high for the freshman and the most for Conti in her UCLA career. UCLA also ended the night with a 40-10 advantage in the paint.