Tag: UCLA Bruins women’s basketball

Gabriela Jaquez joining Team Mexico for 2026 FIBA World Cup

Gabriela Jaquez will be in Mexico in 2026.

Gabriela Jaquez of the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team got great news, as she was invited, and accepted a spot on the 2026 pre-qualifying Tournament roster for Mexico. This is a tournament to get ready for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

The sister of Miami Heat star Jaime Jaquez will be playing in Mexico City from August 19th – 25th. The 7-day tournament is held at the Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera.

She is coming off a strong sophomore season where she scored 10 points per game, and ripped down 5.6 rebounds per game. She scored 30 points and recorded 12 rebounds in a win over Bellarmine back in January.

She will be a key part of the Bruins rotation, as Coach Cory Close and the Bruins start their first season in the Big Ten.

The Bruins are set to start their season on November 10th at home. They will take on Colgate, Pepperdine, Arkansas and South Carolina all at home in November.

Gabriela Jaquez and Team Mexico to semifinals with win over New Zealand

Gabriela Jaquez continues to be the best player at the FIBA World Cup pre-qualifying tournament for Mexico.

It was a good night for UCLA Bruins basketball star Gabriela Jaquez and team Mexico. They picked up a 71-64 win over New Zealand on Wednesday. The win for them moved them into the semifinals of the Pre-qualifying tournament of the Basketball World Cup 2026.

Jaquez played the most minutes for the team and was the leading scorer. She played 30:22 and scored 22 points. Jaquez was 8 for 15 from the field, and 5 for 8 from free throw. She could add 8 rebounds and an assist in the game, along with 3 steals.

It was not a good first half for Mexico and especially the second quarter. The Mexican team trailed 40-29 at halftime, after losing the second quarter 26-9. They rallied to win the second half 42-24 to win the game. Mexico outscored New Zealand 27-13 in the fourth.

The Bruins star will wrap up the pool play of the event on Thursday night. The FIBA World Cup will be held in Germany in September of 2026.

Jaquez is projected to be one of the leading scorers for Cori Close and the 2024-2025 UCLA Bruins. They went to the Sweet 16 a season ago.

UCLA women’s basketball announces nonconference home schedule

Get your calendars ready.

Head coach Cori Close is starting her 14th season as head coach of the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team. There are a ton of expectations for the Bruins in 2024-2025.

The Bruins went to the Sweet 16 a season ago, but have not been to the Elite Eight since the 2018 season. It has been since 1979 for the Bruins to be in the Final Four. The first season in the Big Ten, the Bruins are hoping to change that.

Last week, the Bruins announced their non-conference home schedule:

  • November 10th: Colgate
  • November 12th: Pepperdine
  • November 17th: Arkansas
  • November 24th: South Carolina
  • December 16th: Cal Poly

The Lady Bruins got some help announcing the schedule as well. Take a look at the announcement:

Of course, the Big Ten schedule has yet to be announced. What we do know is UCLA will host nine home games and play nine road games. UCLA will play all the teams in the conference once and will get rival USC twice. The other Big Ten teams coming to Westwood are Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.

Angela Dugalic’s Olympic run over with Team Serbia

What a run!

It was a great run, but it has come to an end. Angela Dugalic, UCLA’s forward on the women’s basketball team scored 14 points in 22 minutes, but it was not enough. Team Serbia was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Women’s Basketball tournament.

Dugalic did not start, but played the third-most minutes, and took the most shots on the team. She was 6 for 12 from the field, including a pair of three point shots made. She added 6 rebounds and 2 assists to her 14 points.

The leading scorer for Serbia was Jovana Novic, with 17. Australia mostly led from start to finish, with a 48-32 lead at halftime, and 72-48 after three quarters.

Australia was the first to move to the Semi-Finals of the Olympics. They will play on Friday for a chance to get to the gold medal game.

Dugalic announced in April that she would be returning to UCLA for her fifth season with the Bruins. Head coach Cori Close is excited to have her back on campus soon, and ready for the 2024-2025 season.

Angela Dugalic and Team Serbia women take down China

UCLA representing in Paris.

It has been a great summer for 22-year-old Angela Dugalic. The former Maine West High School star has been playing with her country in the 2024 Olympics and is now 2-0.

Serbia downed China 81-59. Cugalic did not score in the game but was a key contributor for a team that outscored China 36-20 in the second half of the game. In the win in Game One, she had 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the win over Puerto Rico.

Dugalic will be starting her third season at UCLA and fifth overall this season. She had a solid season for Coach Close and the Bruins last season. She started 29 out of 30 games and scored nearly 9 points per game. She averaged nearly 24 minutes per game.

Team Serbia will now take on Spain on Saturday to finish up Group A play. Both teams will move to the quarterfinal, but the winner of the game will win Group A.

UCLA women’s basketball to play in Paris in November

Women’s team going to Paris.

It was announced Tuesday that the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team will be making a trip to Paris this fall. The Bruins will start their season on November 4th, 2024 at Adidas Arena in Paris France to play in the Aflac Oui-Play. Their opponent for the game will be the Louisville Cardinals.

Head coach Cori Close is excited about the opportunity to travel, and have her team seen by international eyes. She had this to say about the upcoming game:

“This is the preeminent opening event in women’s college basketball. There will be elite competition and intentional, educational, and cultural opportunities for our young women. It sets the stage for what we want to accomplish on the court, and it’s a mission-minded experience at the same time.”

Louisville is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and are led by Jeff Walz. He has been the head coach for 17 seasons. They went 24-10 a season ago, and 12-6 in conference play. Louisville lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Middle Tennessee in Louisiana.

Of course, the Bruins are coming off a 27-7 season, which included 13 Pac-12 wins. The Bruins will be members of the Big Ten this coming season.

UCLA Bruins women’s basketball back in action

The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team was back in action on the court on Tuesday.

While head coach Cori Close and her staff continue to reach for the stars when it comes to recruiting the 2025 class, the 2024 season is creeping closer.

The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team was back in action for some summer workouts on Tuesday.

The Bruins are looking to improve upon their 27-7 record of a season ago, which also included a 13-5 mark in Pac-10 play. The Bruins lost in the Pac-12 title game to Washington State.

UCLA then went through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament without an issue. They beat California Baptist and Creighton. In the Sweet 16, the Bruins were eliminated by LSU.

When the 2024-2025 season starts, they will be members of the Big Ten. Iowa has been a power for several seasons, and Ohio State is also very talented. UCLA’s schedule sees them play USC twice during the season. The official schedule should be finalized this fall.

Aaliyah Chavez reveals why she likes UCLA amid final six list

Aaliyah Chavez dishes on why she likes UCLA.

The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team is in the running for Aaliyah Chavez, who is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2025. The other finalists are Texas, LSU, South Carolina, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma.

Chavez revealed what she likes about each program, per Talia Goodman of On3.

“I’ve never been to California, so I want to take a visit there for sure. I like the way they play… They’re not slowed down. They’re recruiting me very well.”

Chavez plays high school basketball in Texas, so the Longhorns and Red Raiders might emerge as the favorites if she wants to stay close to home.

But, she admits she likes the way the Bruins play, and is looking forward to taking a visit to Westwood.

If Cori Close and her program can find a way to lure Chavez to Westwood, it would be a huge recruiting boost going forward, especially for a team that has top-10 buzz going into the 2024-2025 season.

UCLA women’s team in final six for top 2025 recruit

UCLA is one of the finalists.

The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team is in the running for the No. 1 player in the Class of 2025, Aaliyah Chavez. According to Talia Goodman of On3. Chavez has narrowed her list down to six programs.

Aaliyah Chavez, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2025 released her top six schools. The six programs she included are LSU, Texas, South Carolina, UCLA, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

The point guard had 10 schools previously but dropped USC, Arizona, Tennessee, and Ohio State from consideration.

Chavez went on to speak about the recruitment process and what she is looking for in the future:

“The most important thing is to make sure I’m in a place where I have high energy,” Chavez told On3. “I don’t want a coach that’s low energy, and I need to make sure that they’re going to be there the whole time [I am]. I don’t want a coach that’s just going to be there for two years… I want them to be there all four years. Because that’s what I’m getting recruited off of, right? I want to be there all four years.”

The good news is that she plans on being there for four years, although things can certainly change. Nonetheless, UCLA being in the running is a huge testament to Cori Close and her program.

Phoenix Mercury excited for Charisma Osborne’s return

Charisma Osborne is working hard to return.

When the second half of the WNBA season begins, the Phoenix Mercury will have Charisma Osborne back on the court. The 23 year old that played her college basketball at UCLA is in her first season with the Mercury.

She was waived in May, but resigned in June. She brings great energy to the team, and could be a key piece down the stretch. The Mercury head into the break at 13-12, which is fourth in the Western Conference postseason.

While at UCLA, she was a four time All Pac-12 player, and two time all defensive team. She scored enough to finish second all time on the UCLA Women’s basketball scoring list.

Osborne played in just two games before her leg injury. Here are a pair of her teammates Sophie Cunningham and Diana Taurasi on her return:

When the Mercury return following the All Star Break, they will be at the Indiana Fever on August 16th.