It’s been a season of firsts for Cori Close and UCLA.
First, the coach led her team to its highest ranking in school history. Then, the Bruins picked up their first-ever win against Connecticut.
And this weekend, Close will face off against a program she’s very familiar with for the very first time.
No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (8-0) will take on No. 20 Florida State (7-2) in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Sunday morning at Mohegan Sun Area in Uncasville, Connecticut. While the Bruins have never faced the Seminoles, Close was the associate head coach for Florida State from 2004-2011.
“Obviously, I’m pretty familiar with their coaching staff and their style after coaching there for seven years,” Close said. “(I) really have so much respect for (coach) Brooke Wyckoff and the job she’s doing there.”
Wyckoff, the current head coach of Florida State, joined the program in 2011 when Close left to become the head coach at UCLA. It was Close’s departure that led to Wyckoff being hired by former Seminole head coach Sue Semrau, Close’s leader during her seven years in Tallahassee.
During Close’s tenure, Florida State reached the NCAA Tournament in all seven seasons. The Seminoles also earned 20 wins in six of the seven campaigns under the guidance of Semrau and Close.
Over a decade later, UCLA will have to face a ranked Florida State program that Close once helped build.
After beginning the season at No. 18, the Seminoles rose as high as No. 12 after beating then-No. 11 Tennessee 92-91 in early November. But after back-to-back losses to No. 9 Stanford and Arkansas – a team UCLA defeated by 15 last Sunday – Florida State fell five spots in the rankings.
Despite the Seminoles’ recent skid, Close said she expects a challenging contest in the game’s neutral site in Uncasville, Connecticut.
“They’re going to force us to step up our toughness, they’re gonna get after us defensively, and we’re gonna have to really work to take care of the basketball,” Close said. “If you watch their game versus Stanford, I mean, they have our attention.”
While Florida State is two games removed from a two-game losing streak, UCLA is still amid a flawless start to the 2023-2024 campaign.
The Bruins are coming off of a 63-point home victory in which sophomore guard Kiki Rice recorded the program’s 10th-ever triple-double and first since February 2021. Since UCLA’s 11-point win over then-No. 6 UConn on Nov. 24, the Bruins have won their last three contests by a combined 129 points.
UCLA’s 111-point scoring performance Thursday night was its second time breaking 110 after scoring 113 points against Bellarmine on Nov. 12. The Bruins rank sixth in the nation in scoring offense while averaging 92.4 points per contest.
Rice, who has now dished at least 10 assists in three games this season, said UCLA has weapons in all phases of the offensive game that allow her to thrive.
“We have so many great shooters,” Rice said. “(We have a) really big post presence in there, so it really gives a lot of great opportunities to just feed the ball in. … It really creates shots for both myself and everyone else.”
Six players scored in double-figures in UCLA’s most-recent win against Cal State Northridge. Headlined by sophomore center Lauren Betts’ 16.4 points per game, the Bruins have five players averaging more than 13 points per contest this season.
The Seminoles will attempt to slow down the undefeated Bruins on Sunday morning.
Comments are closed.