This post was updated Jan. 15 at 10:43 p.m.
There is nothing like a hometown crowd.
There is joy in playing in front of the state that made you who you are. But maybe there is some pressure too.
Graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens saw her team walk away with the win in her first collegiate visit to her home state of Minnesota. Individually, though, her four-point total ended her 10-game streak of scoring double-digit points.
“Minnesota kid, from Duluth, lots of people here. Didn’t play her best basketball tonight, but we would not be in the position we’re in right now if she hadn’t chosen to join our program. She has been so impactful,” said coach Cori Close. “We love that Minnesota has shared Gianna Kneepkens with us.”
No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball (16-1, 6-0) beat Minnesota (12-5, 3-3) by a score of 76-58 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The Bruins’ 76 points marked the most scored on the Golden Gophers in regulation this season – but the first time Close’s squad has failed to score at least 80 points since its sole loss this season to Texas.
With multiple breakaway layups and a team-leading and career-high-tying 25 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field, senior guard Kiki Rice – who celebrated her 22nd birthday with the win – paved the way for the Bruins, also leading in minutes played with 38.
“When you have someone like Kiki who works so hard, with such intentionality, is willing to do whatever it takes for the sake of the team, you love that she gets to have a career night like this tonight,” Close said.
Senior center Lauren Betts got into early foul trouble, picking up her third foul of the game just 59 seconds into the third quarter. But Close kept trust in the reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and left Betts on the court. Betts rewarded her coach with a 17-point performance, alongside 10 rebounds – good for her seventh double-double of the season, the best mark in the Big Ten.
“Knock on wood, I’ve never fouled out of a game, so that’s something I continue to pride myself on. The coaches trust me that I’m going to make sure I’m smart with that,” Betts said. “Throughout the second half, just trying to stay aggressive and play my game, not let the fouls get to my head, just continuing to lead defensively but also playing smart. I don’t really care how many fouls I have – I’m going to continue to play aggressively.”
Minnesota – missing its second-leading scorer in guard Tori McKinney – recorded the first five points on the board, but UCLA established its lead with a 13-0 run for a 15-7 lead in response.
The first quarter featured scoreless droughts for both teams, including a nearly three-minute span where the crowd in Minnesota was deprived of any points on the board as both teams traded turnovers and missed shots.
UCLA logged six turnovers through the first quarter, and Minnesota took advantage, converting seven of its nine points off turnovers.
The Golden Gophers eventually ended their seven-minute dry spell with 59 seconds left in the first quarter on a stepback jumper from guard/forward Grace Grocholski, while the Bruins ended the frame with free throws from Rice – for a 17-9 scoreline through 10 minutes.
UCLA limited Grocholski, who entered the game with the best 3-point shooting clip in the Big Ten, to just nine points and one bucket from beyond the arc on seven attempts.
“We have really spoken a lot these last few weeks about our defense. Becoming a top defensive team in the country – that’s something that we know we’re going to need to continue to work on and an area that we’re going to need to rise in, in order to get to where we want to get to,” Rice said. “Just our communication, the way we cover for each other. We know we have an anchor inside, so forcing people to shoot over Lauren and drive into her is going to be a really big thing.”
Led by Rice’s 12 points and 100% shooting, UCLA took a 34-24 lead into the second half.
The Bruins – who have averaged 12.4 turnovers per game this season – committed 10 turnovers in the first half, and the Golden Gophers capitalized to earn 10 of their 24 points off their opponent’s lapses.
Across the entire game, the Bruin squad allowed 18 points off 17 turnovers, tied for its second-worst turnover performance of the season so far. Comparably, Minnesota allowed 10 turnovers for 15 points.
[Related: UCLA women’s basketball takes first loss against Texas in turnover-plagued game]
“In the second half, we had to turn the ball over less,” Close said. “We had 10 turnovers at the half. We still ended up with 17, but they weren’t as many live ball turnovers. They came allowing us to set our defense. That’s the thing I’m most disappointed in right now.”
UCLA notched its sixth conference win of the season, as it remains one of only two teams in the Big Ten undefeated in conference play.
Next, UCLA will take on No. 12 Maryland at Pauley Pavilion for another ranked matchup.
