LA Times · Nov 23, 2024
No. 5 UCLA has spent two years developing depth to keep pace with No. 1 South Carolina
UCLA center Lauren Betts blocks Louisville guard Tajianna Roberts’ (22) shot while Gabriela Jaquez (11) looks on during the Bruins’ win on Nov. 4 in Paris. After UCLA was eliminated by South Carolina during the 2023 Sweet Sixteen, Bruins coach Cori Close sat at the podium for her postgame news conference. As the questions poured in, she recalls thinking just one thing over and over again.
“I have to grow in some areas,” Close said ahead of the No. 5 Bruins’ soldout game against No. 1 South Carolina Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. “I have to be able to put this team in different and better situations, given what I’ve learned about them.”