Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez Lead UCLA to a Strong Win Over Rutgers

UCLA Women’s Basketball Triumphs Over Rutgers with 86-46 Victory

The No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team showcased their dominance on Wednesday night with an 86-46 win against Rutgers at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins improved their record to 22-1 overall and remain undefeated in the Big Ten with a perfect 12-0.

Kiki Rice led the Bruins with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Gabriela Jaquez made a significant impact by scoring 10 of her 14 points in the first quarter. In contrast, Rutgers, with a record of 9-14 and a disappointing 1-11 in conference play, struggled without their top scorers, Nene Ndiaye and Imani Lester.

The game began with a missed three-pointer from Rice, but she quickly rebounded, contributing to three successive scores for the Bruins. Although the Scarlet Knights managed to score first with a three-pointer, they faltered, missing five layups and committing five turnovers, which allowed UCLA to capitalize with 11 points in the opening quarter. The six points scored by Rutgers in that period marked the fewest allowed by UCLA in the first quarter this season.

UCLA jumped to a commanding 26-6 lead by the end of the first quarter. However, the second quarter proved more challenging, as the Bruins could only add 14 points compared to Rutgers’ 13. UCLA faced difficulties holding onto the ball, committing seven turnovers, yet the Scarlet Knights could only convert those into three points.

In the fourth quarter, the Bruins encountered more struggles to extend their lead, with their bench players on the floor. Ultimately, UCLA was outscored 19-18 in the final period, highlighting some inconsistency toward the end of the game.

With two-thirds of the conference season completed, UCLA has six games remaining before the Big Ten tournament, including a crucial match against No. 8 Michigan on Sunday at noon PST.