UCLA Bruins basketball fans are in store for a midsummer surprise. The NCAA defending champion UCLA women’s basketball team will square off against the Team Canada Senior Women’s National Team on Wednesday.
It’ll be the first look at a new era of UCLA basketball, with Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts all graduating onto the WNBA after their championship run. The Bruins will also get some high level competition. Team Canada has won the Bronze Medal in the World Cup on two different occasions, but it hasn’t come recently, with Canada most recently making the World Cup podium in 1986.
UCLA won’t have their senior stars from last season, the Bruins will have sophomores Sienna Betts, Lena Bilic and Christina Karamouzi along with Timea Gardiner returning from injury and Elina Aarnisalo returning to the program after one season away at North Carolina.
The matchup is being called the W’HOOP IT UP exhibition, for a 7:00PM tip-off Wednesday night.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to get better, so it was a no-brainer to sign on for W’HOOP IT UP,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said in the team’s release. “It will be such a great experience for us to play against Canada Basketball’s Senior Women’s National team. We’re excited to create some ‘Remember When’s’ while we’re up north, compete at the highest level, and become closer as a team.”
It’s the quickest turnaround in the country for a women’s basketball team, which will give us a first glimpse of several new Bruins in action. Close stayed busy in the transfer portal, landing Donovyn Hunter, Bonnie Deas, Addy Brown and others in the portal to replace the six seniors that departed to the WNBA.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: The defending champion UCLA Bruins are back in action on Wednesday
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
