Londynn Jones – Syndication Server

Improved 3-point shooting could take UCLA to greater heights

The Bruins will be even tougher to beat than they already are if they can shoot moderately well from 3-point range.

Given how dominant the UCLA women’s basketball team has been this season, it’s a bit surprising the Bruins own only the No. 14 scoring offense in the country, behind three other Big Ten schools.

Those numbers will grow more in the Bruins’ favor if they’re able to shoot 3-pointers the way they were able to against Rutgers on Thursday in the game’s first three quarters. UCLA went 9-23 (39.1%) through three quarters before cooling off entirely and going 0-6 in the fourth.

Currently UCLA is 133rd in the country in 3-point percentage at 32.4% and is 117th with 6.9 made threes per game. When junior Londynn Jones knocks down four triples and senior Angela Dugalic goes 2-2, you can imagine just how lethal the Bruins could be with slightly more accurate long-range shooting.

Junior Kiki Rice knocked down a pair of triples, going 2-4 on the game. Rice, Dugalic and Jones went a combined 8-14 while the rest of the Bruins went 1-15, with the only make coming from junior Gabriela Jaquez.

The more effective UCLA can be at knocking down threes, the harder it becomes for opponents to send multiple bodies to Lauren Betts down low, making life easier for the 6’7” superstar. When the Bruins head to the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, the talent gap between UCLA and its opponents will shrink. The team will have to rely a bit more on jump shooting and less on overpowering other teams.

UCLA has saved its best for when it needed it most, as the win over South Carolina showed. In that game, the Bruins had their best 3-point game of the season, going 10-21 from deep shooting a season-high 47.6%.

Lauren Betts is best post player in the country according to Londynn Jones

Londynn Jones is 45-7 at UCLA since Lauren Betts came to Westwood.

Londynn Jones very well may be the antithesis of Lauren Betts as a basketball player. The 5’4” Jones uses an entirely different skillset compared to the 6’7” Betts. However, that doesn’t mean the junior guard doesn’t appreciate greatness when she sees it.

“I think Lauren’s the best post player in the country,” Jones said to Mel Greenberg. “Just the ability. How mobile she is. Her ability to catch every pass that’s thrown her way, whether it’s a good pass or a bad pass.”

It’s Jones’ second year playing with the record-breaking Betts at UCLA and third overall with the Bruins. Since Betts came to Westwood, Jones and UCLA have a record of 45-7. While Jones relies on her speed and ability to stretch the floor, Betts gets by thanks to her elite rim protection and strength in the paint.

“I think she can do it all. Her decision making has been so good and that’s something she’s been wanting to get better at and it shows,” Jones said. “They’re sending 2-3 people at her at a time.”

Jones and Betts were teammates before college, playing together as youths for Team USA.

“Me and Lauren played USA Basketball together so that was our first time,” Jones said. “That was I want to say U16.”

Betts had perhaps her best game as a Bruin on Monday in UCLA’s win over Baylor, collecting 24 points and nine rebounds to go along with her single-game program record nine blocks.

No issues on New Year’s, UCLA moves to 14-0

The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team picked up another top-25 win on New Year’s Day with a 86-70 win over No. 24 Michigan.

The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team picked up another top-25 win on New Year’s Day with a 86-70 win over No. 24 Michigan after the Bruins led by only seven points entering the fourth quarter.

Even though the date of the game was 1/1, there were double-doubles to celebrate for the Bruins on Wednesday, with juniors Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice each recording a double-double in the first game of the new year. Betts had 13 points, ten rebounds and four blocks in the game while Rice added 16 points, 10 assists and three steals.

Rice missed the start of the season with an injury and eased her way back in, averaging 5.67 points per game in her first three games of the year. Since then she’s been terrific, with her points per game sitting at 16.13 over her last eight games, scoring double-figures in every game except one.

Not only did Rice have an efficient game shooting the ball, 6-8 from the field and 4-4 from the line, she reached another milestone as she collected her 300th career assist with UCLA.

Michigan hit a buzzer beater to end the first half to trim UCLA’s lead to 40-29 at halftime, by the start of the fourth quarter it was 57-50 as the Wolverines were able to keep it competitive against the Bruins.

The seven points were as close as Michigan would get in the fourth quarter, with consecutive threes by junior Londynn Jones pushing the UCLA lead to 13 with under eight minutes to play as the UCLA offense put the game on ice with 29 4th quarter points.

With the win, UCLA now sits at 14-0 and 3-0 in the Big Ten. Next the Bruins will head to Indiana to face the Hoosiers on Saturday at 9:00a.m.

UCLA remains unbeaten with 69-37 win over Cal Poly

The Bruins continue to win games.

The UCLA Bruins continued their perfect start to the 2024-2025 season on Monday with a 69-37 win over Cal Poly at home, as the Bruins moved to 11-0.

UCLA joins Georgia Tech, Tennessee, LSU, Maryland, Ohio State and Michigan State as schools from the Power Four conferences that are still unbeaten, with four of those teams coming from the Big Ten.

Monday’s game was a low-scoring affair, with the Mustangs 37 points being tied for the lowest amount the Bruins gave up this season and the 69 points being the least UCLA has scored in a game in North America this season, with the Bruins scoring just 66 points in their season-opener against Louisville in France.

Junior center Lauren Betts did not play Monday, missing the game with a lower body injury that doesn’t appear to be serious. With no Betts, three Bruins finished with 12 points which was the high mark for UCLA on Monday, with junior guard Londynn Jones, senior Angela Dugalic and junior forward Janiah Barker all finishing with a dozen.

The Bruins had one of their worst games of the season shooting the three ball, going 6-25 (24%) in the game, their second lowest three point percentage of the year, with their 3-16 (19%) performance in their win over Hawaii being the only worst percentage.

While UCLA didn’t have their sharpest shooting night, it was still better than what the Bruins defense did to the Mustangs, with Cal Poly shooting 26% from the field while turning the ball over 20 times. The Bruins are back in action on Friday in San Francisco as they’ll face Creighton to kick off the Bay Area Women’s Classic at 8:00p.m.

Social media reacts as Londynn Jones passes Kari Korver in UCLA record books

Londynn Jones set a record and fans were excited about it.

The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team cruised over Arizona in the final regular season game of the season.

In that game, Londynn Jones set herself apart in UCLA record books. She passed Kari Korver for the most three-pointers made in a single season. The record was previously set at 77.

Jones was the leading scorer for UCLA in that game with 16 points and she has shot 39 percent from three-point land this season as one of a strong group of Bruins players,

Fans and teammates reacted on social media after the sophomore set the record, and UCLA is preparing for the Pac-12 Conference tournament.