This post was updated Nov. 10 at 3:19 p.m.

The first tip-off of the season was not in Pauley Pavilion. Nor was it on domestic soil. 

For the first time in program history, No. 5 UCLA women’s basketball (1-0) began its season abroad in Paris, beating No. 17 Louisville (0-1) 66-59. The Bruins fought their way to the lead after 14 lead changes and 21 turnovers within the 40 minutes. 

The Bruins began the match with a disadvantage – receiving a technical foul for failing to submit their starting lineup on time. The foul resulted in a Cardinal free throw, putting the Bruins in a deficit before tip-off could commence. 

“We have some mistakes we’re obviously going to make, but I think it all starts with communication,” said junior center Lauren Betts. “Obviously, everyone’s trying to figure it out right now, but I think the team that communicates more is going to win at the end of the day, and we did.”

After Betts took the opening tip, junior guard Londynn Jones’ 3-point attempt missed the net, setting the Bruins up for an early first-quarter setback. The opening 10 minutes concluded with UCLA leading by five and  Louisville leading 18-13.

A chaotic five-minute sequence set the Bruins up for a comeback in the second quarter. With Louisville guard Merissah Russell walking off with an injury to start the quarter, the Bruins evaded any fouls and began their back-to-back offensive play. 

With back-to-back 3-pointers from junior forward Timea Gardiner, the Bruins went on a 8-0 run in less than two minutes, bringing the score to 25-20 with five minutes remaining in the half.

“We actually have a goal and an expectation to be a team that doesn’t turn the ball over more than 11 times, and we obviously didn’t get that tonight,” said coach Cori Close. “They really took up the space, they got in between our screens and they really didn’t let us run some of our comfortable stuff.”

Gardiner, a transfer from Oregon State, signed with the Bruins at the end of her sophomore season. During her last season with the Beavers, she was named Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year and saw double digits in 16 consecutive games. 

After a turnover from Louisville, a rapid-fire pass from Betts to Jones led to a corner 3-pointer marking Jones’ first points of the game. 

The team entered the locker room with a 32-29 lead at the half. 

Midway through the third, UCLA’s points faltered, as Louisville created a four-point lead. Despite the deficit, the Bruins came back in four minutes, with Betts and freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo assisting Jones to tie the score at 40-40 with three minutes remaining in the quarter. 

Betts made her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds. 

“I’m feeling a lot more confident coming into this season, and I think the work that I put in and during preseason has just given me all this confidence,” Betts said. “I’m surrounded by the best teammates, the best coaches, and they just really built me up all preseason long.”

Aarnisalo joined the Bruins over the summer as an international recruit after a stint with the BXNT League – Belgium’s top women’s basketball program. The freshman was named to the starting five after the Bruins’ typical starting point guard, junior Kiki Rice, was on the sidelines due to a minor shoulder injury. 

“We’ve got seven new players,” Close said. “We are not the team that we’re going to become, and we have a lot of individual talent pieces, so we are not yet playing as a cohesive team with a synergistic identity. We’re not there yet, and we’re learning.”

Jones banked a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, putting the Bruins up 53-48. Jones continues to be the team’s leading 3-point scorer, setting UCLA’s single-season record with 87 in the 2023-2024 season. 

The Bruins had back-to-back offensive plays that etched 10 more points on the scoreboard – their largest lead of the game – with six minutes left in the match. 

A turnover with 40 seconds left in the match gave the Cardinals some momentum to cut the Bruins’ lead short. However, Jones secured the victory, holding the Bruins to a 75% free throw percentage for the match. 

“We’re determined to do the work on our character and to work on our habits,” Close said. “I want students to pack Pauley on Nov. 10 in our opener against Colgate, I want people to be talking about USC and UCLA and I want people to hold us to high standards.”