2025–26 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team

2025–26 UCLA Bruins women's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 4
Record11–1 (1–0 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Tasha Brown
  • Tony Newnan
  • Soh Matsuura
  • James Clark
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
2025–26 Big Ten women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 Maryland 1 – 0   1.000 13 – 0   1.000
No. 20 Nebraska 1 – 0   1.000 12 – 0   1.000
Illinois 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917
No. 19 Ohio State 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917
No. 4 UCLA 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917
No. 6 Michigan 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 1   .909
No. 14 Iowa 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 2   .833
No. 17 USC 1 – 0   1.000 9 – 3   .750
Wisconsin 1 – 0   1.000 9 – 3   .750
No. 24 Michigan State 0 – 1   .000 11 – 1   .917
Oregon 0 – 1   .000 12 – 2   .857
Indiana 0 – 1   .000 11 – 2   .846
Washington 0 – 1   .000 10 – 2   .833
Minnesota 0 – 1   .000 9 – 3   .750
Purdue 0 – 1   .000 8 – 4   .667
Rutgers 0 – 1   .000 8 – 4   .667
Penn State 0 – 1   .000 7 – 5   .583
Northwestern 0 – 1   .000 6 – 6   .500
† 2026 Big Ten tournament winner
As of December 22, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team will represent the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season.[1] The Bruins will be led by head coach Cori Close in her fifteenth year, and will play their home games at Pauley Pavilion. In the preseason, the Bruins were voted the favorite to win the Big Ten conference, with senior center Lauren Betts named the 2025-26 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.[2] Betts and senior guard Kiki Rice were named to the All-Big Ten preseason conference team.[2]

Previous season

The Bruins finished the 2024–25 season with a 34–3 record, including 16–2 in Big Ten play to finish in second place to USC. UCLA proceeded to beat USC in the Big Ten conference tournament to win the championship.[3] They received the number 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and reached their first NCAA Final Four game[lead 1][4], where they were eliminated by the eventual national champion UConn.[5]

Offseason

Departures

UCLA departures
Name Num Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Janiah Barker 0 F 6'4" Junior Marietta, GA Transferred to Tennessee
Avary Cain 2 G 6'1" Freshman Santa Maria, CA Transferred to Oregon
Londynn Jones 3 G 5'4" Junior Riverside, CA Transferred to USC
Zania Socka-Ngumen 6 F 6'3" Freshman Silver Spring, MD Transferred to Indiana
Elina Aarnisalo 7 G 5'10" Freshman Helsinki, Finland Transferred to North Carolina
Kendall Dudley 22 F 6'2" Freshman Lewisville, TX Transferred to Michigan

Additions

UCLA incoming transfers
Name Position Height Year Hometown Previous school
Megan Grant G/F 5'10" Senior San Mateo, CA UCLA (softball)
Gianna Kneepkens G 6'0" Senior Duluth, MN Utah

Recruiting

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Sienna Betts
F 		Centennial, CO Grandview High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (98)
Lena Bilić
G 		Zagreb, Croatia 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Christina Karamouzi
G 		Sweden 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Player Commits". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 13, 2025.


Roster

2025–26 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Kiki Rice 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Sr Sidwell Friends Bethesda, MD
G 3 Christina Karamouzi 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr   Luleå, Sweden
G 5 Charlisse Leger-Walker 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) GS St Peter's School, Cambridge
Washington State 		Waikato, New Zealand
G 8 Gianna Kneepkens 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Sr Marshall School
Utah 		Duluth, MN
G/F 9 Lena Bilić 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Fr XVI Gimnazija Zagreb, Croatia
F 11 Gabriela Jaquez 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Sr Camarillo Camarillo, CA
F 16 Sienna Betts 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Fr Grandview Centennial, CO
F 30 Timea Gardiner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Sr Fremont
Oregon State 		Ogden, UT
F 32 Angela Dugalić 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) GS Maine West
Oregon 		Des Plaines, IL
F 33 Amanda Muse 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) RS So Heritage Brentwood, CA
G/F 43 Megan Grant 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Sr Aragon High School San Mateo, CA
C 51 Lauren Betts 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Sr Grandview
Stanford 		Centennial, CO
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 3 vs. San Diego State
Orange County Hoops Classic 		W 77–53  1–0
  21 – L. Betts   11 – Jaquez   5 – Tied  Honda Center 
Anaheim, CA
November 6, 2025*
11:30 a.m., B1G+ 		No. 3 UC Santa Barbara W 87–50  2–0
  21 – Jaquez   8 – Rice   7 – Leger-Walker  Pauley Pavilion (6,863)
Los Angeles, CA
November 10, 2025*
7:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 3 vs. No. 6 Oklahoma W 73–59  3–0
  20 – Kneepkens   15 – Dugalic   6 – Rice  Golden 1 Center (1,463)
Sacramento, CA
November 13, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 3 vs. No. 11 North Carolina
WBCA Challenge 		W 78–60  4–0
  20 – L. Betts   10 – Tied   7 – L. Betts  Michelob Ultra Arena (1,588)
Paradise, NV
November 15, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 vs. South Florida
WBCA Challenge 		W 94–61  5–0
  17 – Jaquez   8 – L. Betts   7 – Leger-Walker  Michelob Ultra Arena (2,116)
Paradise, NV
November 23, 2025*
2:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 3 Southern W 88–37  6–0
  20 – Dugalic   8 – Tied   7 – Leger-Walker  Pauley Pavilion (3,712)
Los Angeles, CA
November 26, 2025*
11:00 a.m., TruTV 		No. 3 vs. No. 4 Texas
Players Era Festival semifinals 		L 65–76  6–1
  17 – Tied   7 – L. Betts   3 – Tied  Michelob Ultra Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 27, 2025*
7:30 p.m., TruTV 		No. 3 vs. Duke
Players Era Festival Consolation Game 		W 89–59  7–1
  23 – Jaquez   8 – Dugalic   6 – Tied  Michelob Ultra Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 30, 2025*
1:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 3 No. 14 Tennessee W 99–77  8–1
  29 – Jaquez   11 – Rice   11 – Leger-Walker  Pauley Pavilion (5,639)
Los Angeles, CA
December 7, 2025
12:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 4 Oregon W 80–59  9–1
(1–0) 		 24 – L. Betts   14 – L. Betts   8 – Leger-Walker  Pauley Pavilion (3,889)
Los Angeles, CA
December 16, 2025*
7:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 4 Cal Poly W 115–28  10–1
  23 – Rice   10 – L. Betts   7 – Leger-Walker  Pauley Pavilion (3,110)
Los Angeles, CA
December 20, 2025*
2:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 4 Long Beach State W 106–44  11–1
  17 – Tied   10 – Kneepkens   10 – Leger-Walker  Pauley Pavilion (3,428)
Los Angeles, CA
December 28, 2025
11:00 a.m., BTN 		No. 4 at No. 19 Ohio State       Value City Arena 
Columbus, OH
December 31, 2025
11:00 a.m., Peacock 		at Penn State       Bryce Jordan Center 
State College, PA
January 3, 2026
5:00 p.m., Peacock 		USC
Rivalry 		      Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
January 11, 2026
4:00 p.m., BTN 		at Nebraska       Pinnacle Bank Arena 
Lincoln, NE
January 14, 2026
5:00 p.m., B1G+ 		at Minnesota       Williams Arena 
Minneapolis, MN
January 18, 2026
1:00 p.m., NBC 		Maryland       Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
January 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., B1G+ 		Purdue       Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
January 25, 2026
1:00 p.m., BTN 		at Northwestern       Welsh–Ryan Arena 
Evanston, IL
January 28, 2026
4:00 p.m., B1G+ 		at Illinois       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
February 1, 2026
1:00 p.m., FOX 		Iowa       Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
February 4, 2026
7:00 p.m., B1G+ 		Rutgers       Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
February 8, 2026
12:00 p.m., FOX 		at Michigan       Crisler Center 
Ann Arbor, MI
February 11, 2026
5:00 p.m., Peacock 		at Michigan State       Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
February 15, 2026
12:00 p.m., Peacock 		Indiana       Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
February 19, 2026
7:00 p.m., BTN 		Washington       Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
February 22, 2026
2:30 p.m., Peacock 		Wisconsin       Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
March 1, 2026
3:00 p.m., FS1 		at USC
Rivalry 		      Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
Big Ten tournament
March 4–8, 2026
TBA 		vs.        Gainbridge Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.
Source:[6]

Game summaries

This section will be filled in as the season progresses.

Source:[7]

San Diego State (Orange County Hoops Classic)

November 3, 2025
7:00 p.m. PST
San Diego State Aztecs 53, No. 3 UCLA Bruins 77
Scoring by quarter: 9–12, 13–25, 16–21, 15–19
Honda Center • Anaheim, California
Referees: Nicole Leon, Erica Parker, Charles Gonzalez

vs UC Santa Barbara

BTN+
November 6, 2025
11:30 a.m. PST
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 53, No. 3 UCLA Bruins 77
Scoring by quarter: 9–13, 13–25, 16–21, 15–19
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California
Referees: Esther Hsu, Tessa Turner, Julie Krommenhoek

No.6 Oklahoma

November 10, 2025
7:30 p.m. PST
No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 50, No. 3 UCLA Bruins 87
Scoring by quarter: 17–21, 9–30, 17–23, 7–13
Golden 1 Center • Sacramento, California
Attendance: 6863
Referees: Felicia Grinter, Mike McConnell, Brenda Pantoja

No. 11 North Carolina (WBCA Challenge)

November 13, 2025
6:00 p.m. PST
No. 3 UCLA Bruins 78, No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels 60
Scoring by quarter: 12–17, 23–17, 23–12, 20–14
Michelob Ultra Arena • Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 1,588
Referees: Chuck Gonzalez, Maj Forsberg, Brenda Pantoja

South Florida (WBCA Challenge)

November 15, 2025
6:00 p.m. PST
South Florida Bulls 61, No. 3 UCLA Bruins 94
Scoring by quarter: 8–29, 24–26, 16–21, 13–18
Michelob Ultra Arena • Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 2,116
Referees: Lisa Jones, Melissa Barlow, Angelica Suffren

vs Southern

BTN+
November 23, 2025
200 p.m. PST
Southern Lady Jaguars 37, No. 3 UCLA Bruins 88
Scoring by quarter: 9–22, 0–27, 12–23, 16–16
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 3,712

Texas (Players Era Festival semifinals)

November 25, 2025
11:00 a.m. PST
No. 3 UCLA Bruins 65, No. 4 Texas Longhorns 76
Scoring by quarter: 10–20, 15–25, 22–17, 18–14
Michelob Ultra Arena • Las Vegas, Nevada
Referees: Chuck Gonzalez, In'Fini Robinson and Kyle Bacon

Duke (Players Era Festival)

TNT/TruTv
November 27, 2025
7:30 p.m. PST
Duke Blue Devils 59, No. 3 UCLA Bruins 89
Scoring by quarter: 7–30, 18–13, 17–22, 17–24
Michelob Ultra Arena • Las Vegas, Nevada
Referees: Maj Forsberg, Lisa Jones and Saif Esho

vs Tennessee

FS1
November 30, 2025
1:30 p.m. PST
No. 14 Tennessee Lady Volunteers 77, No. 3 UCLA Bruins 99
Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 18–23, 17–27, 21–23
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 5,639
Referees: Maj Forsberg, Gina Cross, Brenda Pantoja

vs Oregon

FS1
December 7, 2025
12:00 p.m. PST
Oregon Ducks 59, No. 4 UCLA Bruins 80
Scoring by quarter: 8–19, 18–30, 14–16, 19–15
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 3,889
Referees: Doug Knight, Kenneth Nash, Michol Murray

vs Cal Poly

December 16, 2025
7:00 p.m. PST
Cal Poly Mustangs 28, UCLA Bruins 115
Scoring by quarter: 13–25, 3–35, 5–31, 7–24
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 3,110
Referees: Maj Forsberg, Roy Gulbeyan, Esther Hsu

vs Long Beach State

BTN+
December 20, 2025
2:00 p.m. PST
Long Beach State Beach vs. UCLA Bruins
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California

at Ohio State

BTN
December 28, 2025
11:00 a.m. PST
UCLA Bruins vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

at Penn State

UCLA Bruins vs. Penn State Lady Lions

vs USC (Rivalry)

Peacock
January 3, 2026
5:00 p.m. PST
USC Trojans vs. UCLA Bruins
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California

at Nebraska

BTN
January 11, 2026
4:00 p.m. PST
UCLA Bruins vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

at Minnesota

BTN+
January 14, 2026
5:00 p.m. PST
UCLA Bruins vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers

vs Maryland

January 18, 2026
1:00 p.m. PST
Maryland Terrapins vs. UCLA Bruins
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California

vs Purdue

BTN+
January 21, 2026
7:00 p.m. PST
Purdue Boilermakers vs. UCLA Bruins
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, California

at Northwestern

at Illinois

vs Iowa

vs Rutgers

at Michigan

at Michigan State

vs Indiana

vs Washington

vs Wisconsin (Senior Day)

at USC (Rivalry)

Rankings

Main article: 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP333 (1)3 (1)4444Not released
Coaches44334444

Awards and honors

  • December 1, 2025 – Gabriela Jaquez was named B1G Player of the Week[8]
  • December 9, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named AP Player of the Week

References

  1. ^ Mueller, Corey - 2025-26 UCLA Women's Basketball Information Guide UCLA Athletics, October 2025
  2. ^ a b UCLA, Betts Headline Big Ten Women's Basketball Preseason Honors. Big Ten Conference, October 2, 2025
  3. ^ "Women's Basketball Captures Big Ten Championship Over Trojans, 72-67". uclabruins.com. March 9, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  4. ^ Knoblauch, Austin - The Sports Report: UCLA women make history on Selection Sunday Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2025
  5. ^ "Women's Basketball Falls to UConn in Final Four, 85-51". uclabruins.com. April 4, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  6. ^ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Schedule". uclabruins.com. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  7. ^ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Schedule". UCLA Athletics.
  8. ^ "UCLA and USC Capture Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Honors". bigten.org. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved 1 December 2025.

Notes

  1. ^ The UCLA Bruins women's basketball team has played in the semi-finals of the AIAW women's basketball tournament twice, winning the championship in 1978
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