This post was updated Nov. 2 at 2:18 p.m.

The game opened with a sight the Bruin faithful are used to – Betts winning the tip-off. 

But this time, it was sophomore forward Sienna Betts.

In fact, not a single player in UCLA’s starting lineup Monday afternoon opened a game for the team last season.

No. 11 UCLA women’s basketball (1-0) took down Lehigh (0-1) 73-53 to open the 2026-27 season at Pauley Pavilion. The reigning national champions boasted a 41-26 second half to secure the victory.

UCLA jumped out to a quick lead, with senior guard Donovyn Hunter, who transferred to Westwood after two seasons at Texas Christian University, scoring the first five points for the home squad. The Bruins finished two and-ones in the first quarter, the first of which was from fifth-year forward Timea Gardiner, who is returning to the court after redshirting last season due to an undisclosed knee injury. This play gave the home squad an 8-2 lead – one that was quickly countered.

A made free throw and the Mountain Hawks’ first 3-pointer of the game brought the visitors back within two points. The Bruins fought to extend the lead again, aided by Betts’ seven first-quarter points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field, securing a seven-point lead.

But missed defensive rotations that left players open on the perimeter allowed Lehigh guards Ryann Jennings and Olivia Fleming to knock down back-to-back shots from behind the arc, knotting the first quarter’s score at 17 apiece. Jennings knocked down three of the Mountain Hawks’ nine 3-pointers, of which they attempted 23.

“All five players having to have the role of pressuring up this game is definitely a harder task than what people think,” Hunter said. “Mistakes happen, but I think they took that and ran with it. But again, at the end of the day, defense is straight effort, and it’s how much we want it.”

Jennings opened the second quarter with another make from behind the arc, giving Lehigh its only lead of the game. Hunter and senior forward Addy Brown countered with back-to-back shots from behind the arc, sparking an 11-4 Bruin run through the first 5:24 of the second frame, which prompted a timeout from coach Addie Micir.

Fifth-year guard KK Bransford got on the scoresheet with back-to-back layups for her first official points at UCLA, but Lehigh was able to bring the home team’s lead to just five, entering the halftime break after forcing nine UCLA turnovers through the frame.

But a 23-9 third quarter showed this new Bruin squad’s true potential.

“It’s a different team, and I have confidence in what I know works every single day coming in, and I watched it work every single day, and obviously we won (the National Championship),” Betts said. “Carrying over that everyday routine and that standard – that I have confidence in that, and that’s going to work.”

Hunter finished the night with 14 points and four assists on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and 40% accuracy from deep. Six of those points came in the third quarter, when Bransford added four points of her own. 

Junior guard Elina Aarnisalo scored seven points through the third frame in her return to Pauley, while freshman guard Somto Okafor knocked down a 3-pointer for her first collegiate points.

Aarnisalo, who played for North Carolina last season after spending her freshman campaign with UCLA, finished the night with nine points and four assists. Bransford, a four-year player at Notre Dame, made an impact on the stat sheet, finishing with 10 points and two steals – tied with Hunter and sophomore guard Bonnie Deas for second most on the squad, as Okafor led with three. 

After a scoreless third quarter, Betts came out with a six-point final frame to finish with 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 7 rebounds, both team-high marks. Brown also added four points through the fourth, bringing her total to nine points and six rebounds on 4-for-7 shooting.

The squad finished the game with 40 points in the paint compared to just 18 for the Mountain Hawks, which proved to be the difference-maker. With 15 UCLA turnovers, five of which were from Betts, the squad will likely look to clean up offensively against UC Irvine on Thursday night.

“When you’re talking about almost nine of those (offensive fouls) coming that way (offensive fouls and double teams), it gives you a real clear direction of how I need to teach through it,” said coach Cori Close. “But it will be absolutely imperative for this team to get that number below 12 on a consistent basis.”