This post was updated Jan. 9 at 10:11 p.m.
Two Bruins flew abroad to play for their national teams and were set to miss two games in Westwood just one contest into the season.
But only one has returned to the court since.
No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball’s senior forward Emily Bessoir reinjured her ACL while competing for Team Germany in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers on Nov. 9. Bessoir is unable to play for the remainder of this season after also missing the 2021-2022 season with an ACL tear, and she has not been spotted on the Bruins’ bench since the incident.
The former 2021 Pac-12 All-Freshman honoree and 2023 Pac-12 All-Tournament team member averaged 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on a 41.3% shooting clip last year. Bessoir was a versatile contributor to the Bruins’ campaign and showed signs of a potential breakthrough beyond the arc after she improved to 35.7% from 3-point range last season.
Compensating for Bessoir’s meaningful minutes would be a tall task for any team, but UCLA’s depth has uniquely equipped it for this moment.
Its frontcourt, including senior forward Angela Dugalić – the other Bruin abroad in the EuroBasket Qualifiers representing Team Serbia – alongside sophomore forwards Lina Sontag and Christeen Iwuala, has been an integral aspect of the Bruins’ roster management and strategy following Bessoir’s injury.
“Lina, Angela and Christeen have really stepped up on many fronts, but I’m not really surprised at that,” said coach Cori Close. “Those increased roles are not given, they’re earned, and they earn them by their improvement and their willingness to be coached hard.”
Dugalić sustained an ACL tear of her own two years ago and returned from injury this season. The Oregon transfer has attempted the third most 3-pointers of the team this year. While graduate student guard Charisma Osborne and sophomore guard Londynn Jones each hover around 40% from deep, Dugalić is not far behind at 35%.
Iwuala averages around the same minutes she clocked last season but with much greater efficiency this year. She touts the second-highest field goal percentage at .591 on the team behind sophomore center Lauren Betts and her .709 clip.
Close particularly identified UCLA’s press as a source of consistent contributions from Sontag, Dugalić and Iwuala after confronting Oregon State’s emphasis on half-court offense Sunday.
“There are really key plays from our post in the full-court press,” Close said. “Lina, Angela, getting their hands on things in the back court. … And Christeen Iwuala coming in and making some big plays in our 55 press – those things do not go unnoticed or unappreciated, and I think sometimes we don’t make as big a deal of how versatile and how determined our forwards are to help in the press situation.”
Sontag is returning to form following a foot injury, but she continues to impact the game on both ends of the court. Also a Team Germany athlete, she was only one of four players in the Pac-12 to average over one block and one steal per game in her freshman campaign.
With her performance during UCLA’s matchup against then-No. 6 USC on Dec. 30, Sontag demanded the attention of former UCLA men’s basketball guard Baron Davis. Sontag logged two assists, two blocks and a steal in her 14 minutes in the crosstown showdown.
“Baron Davis pointed out Lina Sontag. He’s like, ‘Wow, when she gets more experience, she’s just always around the ball, always making plays,’” Close said. “That’s the strength of our team. It may look different every night, but we have such balance and so many people who can make winning plays.”
While the Bruins support Bessoir in her rehabilitation, rest assured that they have the tools and work ethic to continue to make Bessoir proud.
“I know that she would want nothing else than to have those kids step up in a major way,” Close said. “And they are.”
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