The first top-10 matchup of the Bruins’ 2024-2025 campaign proved memorable.

Not only did coach Cori Close’s squad upset defending national champions and then-No. 1 South Carolina 77-62, but the team earned itself a place atop the AP Poll – a ranking it held for 12 consecutive weeks.

And Monday night presents the first ranked opportunity of the 2025-2026 season to No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball (2-0), who will face No. 6 Oklahoma (1-0) at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

“It’s going to test us … and see what we’re really about,” said senior guard Gabriela Jaquez.

The Bruins and the Sooners boast the top-two recruits from the 2025 class. Although freshman forward Sienna Betts has yet to see the court for UCLA due to a lower leg injury, No. 1 prospect and guard Aaliyah Chavez co-led Oklahoma in minutes played during its season opener against Belmont, posting 16 points in the process.

And the Lubbock, Texas, local’s aptitude was likely not on full display during the Sooners’ Nov. 3 contest. Even though Chavez’s 16 points were the squad’s second highest, she shot a team-low 27.8% from the field and went 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.

It has not been indicated if Sienna Betts will be cleared to play Monday night, but fans will likely still have their eyes on freshman talent – even if she does not leave the bench.

“We’re taking it day by day with her (Sienna Betts),” Close said. “I haven’t been given a timeline yet.”

Center Raegan Beers paced the team for Oklahoma’s win over Belmont with 29 points off a 76.5% clip from the field. Beers – a finalist for the 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year award, which was won by senior center Lauren Betts – currently leads the nation in field goals made per game with 13 converted shots per contest.

But UCLA will likely pose a tougher challenge for Beers than Belmont did.

The Bruins posted a combined 61-point win margin across their first two games of the 2025-2026 campaign and held opponents to a combined 42-for-120 from the field.

Both victories, over San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara, respectively, displayed UCLA’s offensive depth. Jaquez, graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens and senior guard Kiki Rice all posted 20-plus points in Thursday’s home opener, the first time UCLA has achieved the feat since 2023.

“There are so many weapons that I feel like it’s hard for the defense to choose what to take away,” Kneepkens said. “What makes this team special is that any night it could be someone’s night.”

UCLA has added multiple weapons – including Kneepkens and graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker – to its backcourt arsenal. Kneepkens boasted 50.4% shooting from the field and a 44.8% clip from the 3-point line last season at Utah, and Leger-Walker is Washington State’s third-highest all-time leading scorer, where she sported 1,743 career points.

But the Bruins’ veterans are also the ones embracing new roles on the team. Jaquez, who did not lead the team in a single major statistical category during the 2024-2025 campaign, currently ranks first on the squad in minutes played, points per game, offensive rebounds per game and 3-point shooting percentage.

Jaquez – who was named to the 2026 Cheryl Miller Award preseason watchlist for Small Forward of the Year – also boasts the Bruins’ sole double-double this season.

A six-hour trip north to Sacramento might not provide the same comfort as Pauley Pavilion where the Bruins earned last year’s historic victory against the Gamecocks.

But after a year of eight regular-season wins over ranked opponents, UCLA enters Monday’s matchup with newfound experience.