Women's Hoops No. 2 seed heads to Pac-12 Tournament

[Rick Kimbrel]

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GAME INFORMATION
No. 2 UCLA (25-4, 14-4) vs. No. 7 USC Trojans (16-13, 8-10) / No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes (16-13, 5-10)
Date: Friday, Mar. 6
Time: 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (Mandalay Bay Events Center)
Watch: Pac-12 Network (Krista Blunk, Mary Murphy, Jill Savage)
Listen: ucla.leanplayer.com (Play-By-Play: Dave Marcus)

GAME PREVIEW: Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals
UCLA's 2020 postseason campaign begins Friday with the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. The Bruins enter the second round of the tournament 14-4 in Pac-12 play, good for the No. 2 seed in the bracket and a first-round bye. Tip-off for the Bruins' quarterfinal game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Pac-12 Network is on the television call and Dave Marcus is on the radio call for ucla.leanplayer.com.

UCLA's matchup has yet to be determined, as the Bruins are set to take on the winner of No. 7 USC vs. No. 10 Colorado. The 7-10 game tips off Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. PT.


UCLA split its regular-season series with the Trojans and looks to secure a rubber-match victory if USC advances to the second round. The Bruins opened their Pac-12 season with a strong 83-59 win over USC at Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 29. Michaela Onyenwere and Japreece Dean each put up 21 points as the Bruins matched the best start to a season in program history with their 12th-straight win. The Trojans avenged the early-season loss with a double-overtime victory at Galen Center on Jan. 17. Japreece Dean notched a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, but Aliyah Jeune was unstoppable for USC, recording 27 points and 10 rebounds. Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Alissa Pili added 19 points and 17 boards.


The Bruins are 2-0 against Colorado this season. UCLA first took a 65-62 win in Boulder (Jan. 10), fending off a fierce comeback attempt from the Buffs. UCLA scored the first 19 points of the third quarter to alleviate the 33-10 Colorado run that was to come. Michaela Onyenwere led UCLA with 19 points in her return to her home state. The Bruins secured their 10th straight win over Colorado on Feb. 28, recording a 62-52 victory 16 points from Onyenwere and a career-high eight points from freshman Camryn Brown.

UP NEXT: Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals
A win for the Bruins against USC/Colorado would send the team to Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals for the fifth-straight season. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. PT at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, Mar. 7. The game will air on Pac-12 Network and Dave Marcus will handle play-by-play radio duties for ucla.leanplayer.com.

THE STORYLINES

• UCLA (25-4, 14-4) got off to the best start in program history with 16-straight wins to open the season. The Bruins surpassed the 1980-81 squad's original streak of 12-straight wins to start the year with a 68-66 win over Arizona State (Jan. 3).
• With Oregon State's loss to Arizona State (Jan. 12), the Bruins became the last remaining undefeated team in the nation at 16-0. This is the first time the last undefeated team in the nation has been from the Pac-12.
• Cori Close earned her 100th-career Pac-12 victory in the Bruins' victory over then-No. 6/5 Stanford on Friday, Feb. 7. Close has 197 wins overall and is four victories away from 200 for her career.
• The Bruins opened the season 5-0 in Conference play for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when the team won its first six Pac-12 games. UCLA's 14-4 record in Pac-12 games is tied for the best league record in Cori Close's tenure (2017-18, 2015-16, 2012-13).
• Charisma Osborne earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors on Monday, Feb. 24. She averaged 25.7 points and 9.7 rebounds across UCLA's week of action, including a pair of career-high scoring performances in the Bruins' wins over Oregon State (Feb. 17) and Washington State (Feb. 21)..
• Osborne had a monster night in the Bruins' win over Washington State (Feb. 21). The freshman put up a career-high 32 points and added 11 rebounds, good for her first 30-10 game and the first such performance by a Bruin this season. UCLA's road sweep of then-No. 6 Stanford (Feb. 7) and California (Feb. 9 was the first Bay Area road sweep for the Bruins since 1999.
• Senior guard Japreece Dean notched 22 points in UCLA's victory over No. 15 Oregon State (Feb. 19), surpassing 1,000 points for her Bruin career. Dean also dished out a career-high 12 assists against the Beavers, her third game with at least 10 assists this season.
• Cori Close was named a top-15 finalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year.
• Junior Michaela Onyenwere is the Pac-12's second-leading scorer with 18.8 points per game. The forward is also fourth in the Conference in rebounding, grabbing 8.4 boards per contest.
• Forward Michaela Onyenwere was named a top 10 finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award. The award is presented annually to the nation's best small forward.
• Guard Japreece Dean was named a top 10 finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award. The award is presented annually to the nation's top point guard.
• UCLA established a season high with 29 offensive rebounds in the team's victory over Utah (Mar. 1). The Bruins lead the Pac-12 in offensive rebounding with 16.6 per game.
• Michaela Onyenwere notched a career-high 31 points in UCLA's win over Washington (Jan. 24), adding nine rebounds and two assists in the performance. She also knocked down a career-high 13 field goals.
• The Bruins have won 75 of their last 84 games at Pauley Pavilion, including 17 of their last 18 (14-1 this year). UCLA went 11-5 at home last season.
• In 2018-19, Cori Close led UCLA to its fourth-straight 20-win season and fourth-straight trip to the Sweet 16. UCLA joins a list of eight teams in the NCAA that have made the Sweet 16 each of the past four seasons (Baylor, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Oregon State, South Carolina, Stanford, UConn).

BRUINS IN THE POLLS

• UCLA is ranked No. 8 in the most recent Associated Press (AP) Poll (Week 18 - Mar. 2, 2020) and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll (Week 18 - Mar. 3, 2020).
• The Bruins have been in the top 10 in both national polls in each of the last 13 weeks.
• UCLA was ranked No. 11 in both the Associated Press (AP) and USA TODAY Coaches preseason polls.
• The Bruins are one of six Pac-12 teams ranked in both the AP and USA Today Polls.

UCLA ROUTS UTAH ON SENIOR DAY

• The Bruins notched a 77-54 victory over Utah on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. The win clinched for the Bruins the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.
• UCLA dominated on the glass, recording season highs in total rebounds (55) and offensive rebounds (29). All 10 Bruins that played got on the scoresheet, including senior Japreece Dean, who put 14 points and went 12-for-12 from the free throw line on her Senior Day.

UCLA DOWNS COLORADO, SECURES SEASON SWEEP

• No. 9 UCLA got back in the win column Friday evening, taking a 62-52 victory over Colorado at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Bruins outrebounded and outscored the Buffs in the paint, controlling the pace of play en route to the team's 10th-straight victory over Colorado.
• Michaela Onyenwere led the Bruins with 16 points and nine rebounds on the night, going 7-for-16 from the field. Freshman Camryn Brown had the finest scoring performance of her young career, tallying eight points on 4-for-6 shooting.

BRUINS FALL TO HUSKIES IN SEATTLE

• UCLA suffered just its fourth loss of the 2019-20 season Sunday, falling to Washington by a final score of 74-68. The Bruins managed 20 offensive rebounds but struggled to find consistent offensive production, shooting just 22-70 (.314) from the field.
• Charisma Osborne was a bright spot for UCLA, as the freshman followed her 32-point performance against Washington State (Feb. 21) with 23 points and 10 rebounds on the day. Michaela Onyenwere had a tough shooting night, but put up 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in the loss.
• The Bruins cut a 12-point Husky lead to four late in the fourth quarter, but UW iced the game away at the line.

OSBORNE DAZZLES IN UCLA'S COMEBACK WIN AT WASHINGTON STATE

• UCLA improved to 23-3 (12-3) on the year with a 70-62 victory over Washington State behind a career night from Charisma Osborne, who put up a career-high 32 points in the victory.
• With 11 rebounds to her credit, Osborne notched the first 30-10 game of her career and the first such performance for the Bruins this year.
• The Bruins trailed by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, but clawed back throughout the game and finished the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to take the eight-point win.

DEAN MAKES HISTORY AS UCLA DOWNS OREGON STATE

• The Bruins took down No. 15 Oregon State, 83-74, in a hard-fought overtime victory at Pauley Pavilion. It was UCLA's third OT win and fifth victory against a ranked opponent this year.
• Senior Japreece Dean put up 22 points in the win and surpassed 1,000 points for her career at UCLA. Dean also dished out a career-high 12 assists, her third game with double-digit assists this season. Freshman guard Charisma Osborne hit four threes en route to a career-high 22 points.
• UCLA came back from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to tie the game at 67 at the end of regulation. The Bruins outscored the Beavers 16-7 in overtime to secure the victory.

PROTECTING PAULEY

• UCLA has been simply dominant in Westwood, winning 75 of its last 84 games at home (.893).
• The Bruins are 14-1 at home this season and have won 17 of their last 18 games in Westwood dating back to last season.
• The Bruins went 46-3 at home between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

ROAD WARRIORS

• UCLA is 10-3 on the road in 2019-20. The Bruins have won three true road games against ranked teams this year: at No. 12 Indiana (Dec. 22), at No. 19 Arizona State (Feb. 2), and at No. 6 Stanford (Feb. 7).
• The Bruins have won 19 of their last 25 road games over the last two seasons.
• Five of UCLA's nine road triumphs last season were against ranked opponents and the Bruins' two top-10 road wins in 2018-19 were the most for the program since the 1980-81 season.

ALL-PAC-12 SELECTIONS RETURNING

• UCLA returns All-Pac-12 honoree Michaela Onyenwere, the team's top returning scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (8.5 rpg). She eclipsed the 30-point mark at Maryland last season, becoming the second Bruin ever (Nikki Blue) to score at least 30 in the Big Dance and propelling UCLA to its fourth-straight Sweet 16.
• Lindsey Corsaro made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2018-19. She averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG and scored a career-high 18 points vs. Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.

FRESH FACES

• UCLA's top-10 recruiting class made its debut in Westwood in the win over Weber State on Nov. 5, 2019. The highly-touted includes McDonald's All-Americans, Jaden Owens and Charisma Osborne, as well as 6-2 forward Brynn Masikewich (DNP) and defensive stopper Camryn Brown (DNP).
• After redshirting due to NCAA transfer rules (Baylor), Natalie Chou finally had an opportunity to contribute on the court. She played 64 career games (21 starts) for the Lady Bears, averaging 5.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG.

HARD WORK IN THE CLASSROOM

• The Bruin women's basketball program notched a 100 percent graduation rate in 2018-19, helping UCLA Athletics tally an all-time high Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 92 percent.

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT

• Japreece Dean was named to the Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation's top point guard. A total of 20 point guards were named to the list, five of which came from the Pac-12. This was the most out of any conference in the NCAA. In 2018-19, Dean finished third on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game and ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in assists per game at 4.9. In the final seven games of the season, she registered 16.7 points and 6.6 assists per outing.
• Japreece Dean and Michaela Onyenwere made the Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List. A total of 50 players made the list, which will be trimmed to 30 in early February.
  Michaela Onyenwere was one of five forwards from the Pac-12 who earned a spot on the Watch List for the 2020 Cheryl Miller Award, which recognizes the top small forward in the country. Last year, she led the Bruins in scoring (18.3 PPG) and ranked second on the team in rebounds (8.5 RPG). Onyenwere hauled in 4.1 offensive boards – good for second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally.
• Adding to her list of preseason plaudits, Michaela Onyenwere also made the 2019-20 Preseason 'Wade Watch' List, an award given to the best player in women's college basketball. Last season, the award was given to Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon.
• Michaela Onyenwere earned a spot on the Women's Preseason Top 30 Watch List on ESPNW for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy's®. The list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
• Michaela Onyenwere was selected among the 35 outstanding players by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its 2019-20 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the National Player of the Year.

ELITE PROGRAM

• UCLA eclipsed the 20-win mark and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season under Cori Close.
• The Bruins averaged an astounding 17.3 offensive rebounds per game in 2018-19, ranking first in the Pac-12 and second in the NCAA. Over four of those offensive boards came from Michaela Onyenwere, who was 11th in the NCAA in that category.
• UCLA took down seven ranked opponents last year.
• The Bruins had two top-10 wins, defeating No. 2 Oregon and No. 9 Maryland.
• For the fourth-straight season, UCLA finished fourth or higher in the Pac-12 Conference.