Kiki Rice, Charisma Osborne get big Cori Close shoutout after UCLA's 29-point rout of Cal Baptist

24/03/2024 19:28

In a display of basketball brilliance, N0. 1-seeded UCLA women’s basketball stars Kiki Rice and Charisma Osborne were pivotal in the Bruins’ 84-55 rout of 15th-seeded California Baptist in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round on Saturday.

Rice, showing why she’s considered one of the most promising talents in college basketball, led the scoring charge with 20 points, including a decisive 13-point contribution in the first half that helped set the tone for the Bruins. Osborne, not to be outdone, showcased her versatility and all-around game with 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, narrowly missing out on what would have been the 18th triple-double in NCAA Tournament play history, last achieved by Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon in 2019.

"Even though we were taking good shots we weren't being rewarded, and these two (Rice and Osborne) steadied the ship," UCLA coach Cori Close said, per Joe Reedy of the Associated Press.

Gabriela Jaquez added 17 points to the UCLA’s total. The Bruins’ defense was equally impressive, limiting Cal Baptist, a team 12th in the nation for scoring, to a mere 28.8% shooting from the field.

Cal Baptist coach Jarrod Olson considered Jaquez to be one of the key influences in the game.

"She looked like her older brother (former UCLA standout and Miami Heat rookie guard Jaime Jaquez Jr.), which was a bad thing for us. She played great," Olson said. "Just the hustle plays and she really sparked them. Just defensively she's really tough, especially because we're not super big either. You just added another elite defender to an elite defensive team, so it was a tough night for us in that way."

UCLA women’s basketball set to face Creighton next

NBA triple-doubles career leader and Los Angeles Clippers star, Russell Westbrook, attended the game alongside his wife, Nina Earl-Westbrook, a former player for the Bruins.

Despite a slow start from Osborne, her rebounding in the first and second quarters kept the Bruins in control and set up second-chance points that proved crucial. The Bruins’ strategic play and execution on both ends of the floor allowed them to pull away in the second half, effectively putting the game out of reach for California Baptist.

"Definitely was a fast, physical game. They (Cal Baptist) have a lot of quick guards and they play like basically five guards the entire time, so we knew we would have to really get out in the perimeter and be ready to defend," Rice said.

For UCLA, the victory marks their sixth out of their last eight games where they have scored 70 or more points. It also reinforces the Bruins’ reputation as a defensive powerhouse, capable of stifling high-scoring teams.

Looking ahead, UCLA’s next challenge comes against seventh-seeded Creighton on Monday, a team that has demonstrated its own offensive firepower in their 87-73 win over UNLV Saturday.

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