Three former UCLA Bruin national champions made their WNBA preseason debuts over the weekend. The six UCLA draftees had less than a month between their championship win and the start of their professional career.
Three of the six picks made their debut over the weekend, with Kiki Rice of the Toronto Tempo and Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens of the Connecticut Sun have yet to begin preseason action. The three former Bruins will go head-to-head, as the Tempo will host the Sun on Wednesday to kick off their preseason action.
While Leger-Walker, Kneepkens and Rice will have to wait, Lauren Betts and Angela Dugalic of the Washington Mystics and Gabriela Jaquez of the Chicago Sky all made their preseason debuts on Saturday.
Let’s roll through and see how the former UCLA stars fared in their first taste of WNBA action.
Chicago Sky: Gabriela Jaquez
Chicago fell 108-104 in the preseason opener but Jaquez did get 19 minutes of action off of the bench. Jaquez scored 12 points on 3-8 shooting from the floor. In her first pro game, Jaquez got to the free throw line and knocked down all six attempts. To go along with the scoring, Jaquez grabbed three rebounds and committed three fouls.
Washington Mystics: Angela Dugalic
Dugalic was in the starting lineup for the Mystics in their 77-66 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Dugalic played 20 minutes and went a rough 0-7 from the floor. The 6’4” forward finished the game with just two points but she did add five rebounds, two steals and a block for the Mystics.
Washington Mystics: Lauren Betts
Betts had the better debut for the two former Bruins on the Mystics. Like Dugalic, Betts got the start, but Betts had a strong showing, scoring 13 points. Similarly to Dugalic, Betts struggled from the field, going 2-7 from the floor but the 6’7” center went 9-10 on free throws. Betts finished the game with five rebounds, a block and a steal.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: How three former UCLA Bruins fared in their WNBA preseason debuts
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
