Not only did the No. 3 UCLA Bruins move to 3-0 Monday night with a win over the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners, they put the rest of the country on notice. UCLA’s defense smothered the Sooners. The Bruins showed their offense has too many weapons to focus on just one player.
Lauren Betts played great defense but struggled with turnovers
Lauren Betts will continue to get the lion’s share of the opposition’s attention but they won’t be able to hold her down forever. The senior had a rough game on offense against Oklahoma, turning the ball over seven times and going 4-11 from the field, scoring nine points. Betts’ defense was at Naismith Defensive Player of the Year levels, sending away four shots and hauling in a season-high 10 rebounds.
Gianna Kneepkens kept UCLA offense afloat
Gianna Kneepkens was the only Bruin in the starting lineup to have a good night shooting the ball. Kneepkens went 8-14 and scored 20 points while the other four Bruin starters (Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker) combined to go 14-47 or 29.7% on field goals.
Angela Dugalic played a huge role off the bench
UCLA was able to get by with four starters having a quiet night because of a fantastic night from senior Angela Dugalic. Dugalic was pushed out of the starting lineup due to the additions of Kneepkens and Leger-Walker but rather than leaving in the transfer portal, the longtime Bruin moved to the bench and had one of the best games of her career on Monday, posting 16 points and 15 rebounds. There’s no crystal ball to ensure nothing goes awry but adding depth in the frontcourt by having Sienna Betts and Timea Gardiner will give UCLA the deepest rotation in the nation.
Oklahoma stars felt the wrath of UCLA defense
UCLA was the best defense that Oklahoma has seen this season and that might be the case all season. The Sooners shot just 30.7% from the field and while they were able to stay close against the Bruins, by the end of the game it was clear which of the two teams is a national title contender.
There’s still room to grow for already-powerful Bruins
The Bruins got a great game from their defense but there was a lot of rough and sloppy moments from their offense. UCLA turned the ball over 16 times and while head coach Cori Close will want to clean that up, if the Bruins are able to play this level of defense then they should be able to win a lot of games this season.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA has deepest basketball team in the country — win over Oklahoma proved it
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
