This post was updated Nov. 10 at 4:48 p.m.

Only two veterans came dressed to the home opener.

But that didn’t stop freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo from putting on a show.

Following a victory abroad, No. 5 UCLA women’s basketball (2-0) won 81-63 against Colgate (2-1) on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. Only juniors center Lauren Betts and guard Londynn Jones felt familiar in the starting five, with injuries and international play leaving the remaining veterans out of the lineup.

“We can do better with our urgency,” said coach Cori Close. “We can do better with our consistency on the defensive end, we can do better in our hustle plays and there’s more in us, and so that’s going to be my point of accountability.”

A breakaway layup from Aarnisalo to open the game erupted Pauley Pavillion. The Helsinki, Finland, local started in the point guard position in the Bruins’ season opener, playing in place of junior guard Kiki Rice, who has been out with a minor shoulder injury. 

“She’s (Aarnisolo’s) come in with a maturity to her, and we don’t treat her as a freshman,” Betts said. “She’s so skilled, and she comes to practice every single day wanting to get better and asking questions and she’s very reliable.”

After scoring eight points in her debut and playing for 29 minutes, the longest of any new Bruin, Aarnisalo put up 19 points against the Raiders, outscoring Jones’ 12.

After a heavy back-and forth-first quarter, a 3-point jumper from freshman guard Avary Cain let the Bruins break away with the 22-13 lead. Cain’s entrance on the floor came after junior forward Timea Gardiner started the match. Gardiner, a transfer from Oregon State, recorded 15 points in the season opener against Louisville and another 10 in her home debut.

Despite a slow start to the second quarter, three Bruins stood out to get points on the board. 

With Aarnisalo leading in assists, the returning Bruins separated from the rest of the pack with back-to-back assists from Jones and Betts to create distance from the Raiders. 

UCLA entered the locker room leading 38-27 at the half.

Betts’ junior campaign has picked up where her 2023-2024 season left off, leading UCLA in points per game. The Stanford transfer led the team with a career-high 31 points, quickly surpassing her previous season’s average of 14.9.

“Lauren obviously is just different this year,” Close said. “She’s scoring. She’s expanded her range … but more than any of that is her growth and her leadership, and that has been really tremendous.” 

The Bruins saw a slow start to the third quarter until a layup by Betts set them on a consecutive scoring sequence with six minutes remaining. Soon after, Aarnisalo found the net after a defensive rebound which turned into a 3-point play, putting the Bruins up 50-33. 

To finish out the third, UCLA was led by three of its four first year recruits, with veteran Jones on the floor with them. 

“Just holding my teammates accountable for what I know they’re really good at,” Jones said. “Bringing that out of them, making sure that they know what we need and having them bring it every time.”

After Aarinsalo committed her fourth personal foul, Cain swapped in for her and found the net with a layup assisted by Jones. One last defensive stop put the Bruins in the lead to enter the fourth quarter 64-42. 

With a personal foul by Jones to open the fourth, the Raiders added two points to the scoreboard. 

However, it wasn’t enough. 

The Bruins continued to create distance with Betts finding the backboard from the paint on assists from Aarnisalo and Jones. With 12 points in the fourth, the six-foot-eight center reached her career-high points.

The Bruins concluded the match with their second win of their season.