The Bruins return home riding two recent road victories.

No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) will host No. 12 Maryland (17-2, 5-2) on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion in its next conference matchup.

The programs are tied 2–2 in the all-time series dating back to their first meeting in 2007, with the Bruins holding a 2-1 advantage in road games, while still seeking their first home win against the Terrapins.

UCLA defeated Maryland 82-67 – the largest margin of victory in the series – in College Park last season. The Bruins were led by then-junior center Lauren Betts, who recorded a career-high 33 points on 14-for-15 shooting from the field to reach 1,000 career points while adding seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

Although Betts has yet to breach 30 points this season, the senior scored a season-high 25 points at Penn State on Dec. 31 and currently leads the Big Ten in double-doubles with seven. Three other Bruins also average double-digit points, and the same number record at least five rebounds per game.

“We’re a type of team that once we can get certain aspects of our offense going, it creates so many more looks for us in different areas,” said graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker. “Having six people in double figures, that’s because we go to Lauren inside, or all of our bigs inside, and they draw so much attention.”

UCLA enters the matchup following a 76-58 road win against Minnesota, where it shot 60% from the field while dishing out 18 assists and limiting the Gophers to 40.3% shooting.

Senior guard Kiki Rice notched a team-leading 25 points, converting all of her attempts from beyond the arc, while Betts added 17 points and 10 rebounds to anchor UCLA’s paint advantage.

The Bruins forced 10 turnovers against the Golden Gophers and converted them into 15 points. UCLA recorded seven steals, limited Minnesota to four made 3-pointers on 17 attempts and held a 17-3 edge in fast-break points.

As the Bruins head into another Big Ten matchup, defensive execution remains a point of emphasis.

“They know where they want to get their shots from,” said coach Cori Close. “They know who they want to get their shots from, and I think it’s more coming out with the mindset that we want to be dictating on defense, especially, and be the aggressors and make sure that we’re not being kind of reactive to whatever they’re throwing at us.”

Ranked No. 4 nationally and No. 3 in the Big Ten in rebounding margin, Maryland is coming off a 62-55 road win against USC on Thursday, when the College Park squad recorded 11 more defensive rebounds than its opponent. The Terrapins overcame an early eight-point deficit and held the Trojans to just 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Maryland’s roster is headlined by guard Yarden Garzon, who leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally in total 3-pointers made with 55, and guard Oluchi Okananwa, who sits seventh in the conference in steals per game with 2.1 while averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game.

Close said the Bruins, who are undefeated in conference play, are still improving.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Close said. “We are the No. 1 efficient offensive team in the country right now, but we’re No. 5 on defense, and … still have room to grow.”