Paris is nine hours ahead of Los Angeles.

A 2 p.m. start time on Sunday may feel closer to a middle-of-the-night affair for jet-lagged Bruins.

“I’ve been going to sleep at 6 o’clock (p.m.),” said junior guard Londynn Jones after returning from Paris victorious.

No. 5 UCLA women’s basketball (1-0) will face Colgate (1-0) on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion for its first home game of the season.

Entering their second game of the 2024 campaign, the Bruins may once again be without their starting point guard, junior Kiki Rice. Rice – who started in all 34 games last season – sustained a shoulder injury during practice ahead of UCLA’s season opener against Louisville in Paris.

“She’s day to day right now,” said coach Cori Close.

Freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo assumed Rice’s starting duties against the Cardinals, recording eight points on 4-for-8 shooting alongside four assists.

“The biggest thing I liked is that she had a really rough start and she responded,” Close said. “I thought her response and her ability to get to the paint off the bounce was really critical for us.”

Junior center Lauren Betts – who was selected to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List – proved her mettle Monday night, pouring in 18 points and 13 rebounds to compound a tenacious defensive showing with four blocks.

The former Stanford transfer posted 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds a game last season, establishing herself as one of the nation’s premier bigs as her versatility in the post propelled the Bruins through their postseason run.

The Bruins’ roster flashed its deep reserves, receiving a notable boost off the bench in Oregon State transfer Timea Gardiner, as the sophomore guard went 5-for-7 beyond the arc and added seven rebounds in UCLA’s season opener.

“She’s an elite shooter,” Close said. “As long as she’s taking quality shots, she has a green light.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s matchup, Close added that she planned to start Gardiner at the four.

After recording 22 turnovers against Louisville, it seemed Friday’s practice at Pauley Pavilion stressed better ball control.

“The reality is that we have seven new players and we are playing with a freshman point guard at the moment, but everybody has to tighten up,” Close said. “We got to do much less off the bounce and more off the pass and off the catch.”

Colgate sported a smaller lineup in its season opener, with its tallest starter listed at 6-foot-1.

Regardless of who starts for the Raiders on Sunday, Betts and UCLA will have a significant height advantage.

“Rebounding and just making sure we’re taking away threes,” Betts said. “We’re playing against a smaller team and they’re going to have a lot of shooters, so just making sure we’re aware of what we’re doing on defense and executing that.”

Despite their physical advantages, the Bruins are not overlooking their opponents.

“I want to give one shoutout,” Close said. “The head coach of Colgate, Ganiyat Adeduntan, is a former player of mine and she is doing a heck of a job. I was watching them on film, and they’re going to cause us trouble.”