The Bruins are undefeated – but Sunday’s rotations may look entirely different than they have the past three games.
No. 5 UCLA women’s basketball (3-0) will square up against Arkansas (3-1) on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion, with a key player possibly returning to coach Cori Close’s lineup.
Junior guard Kiki Rice, who has been sidelined due to a lingering shoulder injury, was a full participant in Friday morning’s practice at the Mo Ostin Basketball Center.
“It’s still day to day, but we’re hopeful that we could get her some minutes on Sunday,” Close said. “I would prefer to bring Kiki off the bench, just to be conservative, but I haven’t made that final decision yet.”
Freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo has capitalized on Rice’s absence. In three starts at point guard, she’s averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Aarnisalo is a recent addition to an already star-studded roster. In addition to having the top three recruits of the 2022 class, UCLA is the only collegiate program to bring in three five-star recruits from the class of 2024.
“I expect our team to hold starting lineups very loosely,” Close said. “We have pretty much eight starters, and it’s going to be how much they prepare that week and what the matchup requires.”
UCLA has experimented with different starting lineups in each of its three contests. While Aarnisalo has been a consistent starter at the one, injuries and international play have created early shifts in the rotation. Junior guard Gabriela Jaquez was out of action against Pepperdine due to an ankle injury sustained in practice Nov. 8. Graduate student forward Angela Dugalić also missed the last two games while representing Serbia in a FIBA Women’s EuroBasket qualifying game.
After a matchup against a much smaller Colgate team Nov. 10, the Bruins will once again head into a Sunday afternoon game with the size advantage over their competitors. The Razorbacks’ offense is spearheaded by a pair of 5-foot-7 guards: Izzy Higginbottom and Kiki Smith.
Higginbottom has excelled in getting to the free throw line, making 29 free throws off 32 attempts in just four games.
Alternatively, the majority of Smith’s contribution has come from beyond the arc, shooting 46.4% on 28 attempts.
“They spread you out,” Close said. “They really are good about getting all the way to the cup or getting corner 3s.”
While attention is directed towards limiting Arkansas’ multifaceted offense, UCLA continues to stress the importance of rebounding.
The Bruins have out-rebounded their opponents 46.7 to 31 per game their first three games. Junior center Lauren Betts has corralled 11.3 rebounds per game while junior forward Janiah Barker has averaged nine rebounds of her own.
“Rebounding is a huge part of UCLA,” said junior forward Timea Gardiner. “It’s always something that we pride ourselves on.”
With a five-day gap between games, the Bruins have had ample time to prepare for the Razorbacks.
“We have been able to put together three days of practice leading into Arkansas, and I think we needed that,” Close said. “It was really good to be able to catch our breath and also get some really quality practice reps.”
The game is designated as a ‘Los Bruins’ matchup, highlighting Latino representation at UCLA.
Having competed for Team Mexico at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 pre-qualifying tournament, Jaquez spoke to the game’s importance.
“It’s amazing that we have a lot of games that acknowledge different cultures and different groups of people,” Jaquez said. “I’m really excited, a lot of my family will be there.”
UCLA’s Sunday competition will be its last before facing No. 1 South Carolina.
“That South Carolina game should be a sellout,” Close said. “But let’s make sure that that’s not the only game people come to.”
Tip-off against Arkansas is set for 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
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