2018–19 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team

2018–19 UCLA Bruins women's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixeen
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 20
Record22–13 (12–6 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Shannon Perry
  • Tasha Brown
  • Tony Newnan
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
Seasons
2018–19 Pac-12 Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 Oregon 16 – 2   .889 33 – 5   .868
No. 6 Stanford † 15 – 3   .833 31 – 5   .861
No. 11 Oregon State 14 – 4   .778 26 – 8   .765
No. 20 UCLA 12 – 6   .667 22 – 13   .629
No. 22 Arizona State 10 – 7   .588 22 – 11   .667
Utah 9 – 9   .500 20 – 10   .667
California 9 – 9   .500 20 – 13   .606
Arizona 7 – 11   .389 24 – 13   .649
USC 7 – 11   .389 17 – 13   .567
Washington State 4 – 14   .222 9 – 21   .300
Washington 2 – 15   .118 11 – 21   .344
Colorado 2 – 16   .111 12 – 18   .400
† 2019 Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018–19 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins, led by eighth year head coach Cori Close, played their home games at the Pauley Pavilion. They were members of the Pac-12 Conference.

The Bruins started the season 3–5, their worst start since the 2014–15 season, before going on a 6-game winning streak. The Bruins then lost their next four, including a 72–67 home loss on January 20 to a USC team that had failed to win any of its first five conference games. The loss dropped the Bruins to 0–3 in Pac-12 home games on the season; in the previous three seasons, they had only lost one Pac-12 home game.

The Bruins' next game following the USC loss was an upset road win over No. 16 Arizona State. The Bruins then traveled to Arizona and defeated the Wildcats 98–93 in three overtimes; the game was the first three-overtime game in UCLA women's basketball history, as well as the longest Pac-12 women's basketball game in over a decade.

On February 10, 2019, the Bruins upset No. 17 Utah, 100–90, in Salt Lake City. The Bruins' 40 points in the fourth quarter was the highest single-quarter point tally in UCLA women's basketball history.

On February 22, 2019, the Bruins upset No. 2 Oregon, 74–69, in Eugene. This was the Bruins' first win over a top five opponent since 2013. The Bruins erased a 22-point deficit in the comeback victory.

The Bruins finished the regular season with a 19–11 overall record and a 12–6 record in Pac-12 play (5–4 at home and 7–2 on the road), having won 10 of their last 12 regular season games. UCLA's only two losses during that 12-game span were against No. 10 Stanford at home and No. 12 Oregon State on the road.

On March 6, 2019, Pac-12 media members voted head coach Cori Close Pac-12 Coach of the Year.[1]

The Bruins secured a (4) seed and a first-round bye to the Pac-12 Tournament. They defeated (5) Arizona State in the quarterfinals before losing to (1) Oregon in overtime in the semifinals.

The Bruins secured a (6) seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. They defeated (11) Tennessee 89–77 in the first round and defeated (3) Maryland 85–80 in the second round before losing to (2) Connecticut 69–61 in the Sweet Sixteen. The Bruins concluded the season with a 22–13 overall record. They won 13 of their last 17 games after starting the season 9–9.

Offseason

Departures

Name Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Ashley Hearn F 6'4" RS Jr. Rowlett, Texas Graduated in December 2018; transferred mid-season to Texas A&M
Jordin Canada G 5'6" Sr. Los Angeles, California Graduated; selected 5th overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2018 WNBA draft
Monique Billings F 6'4" Sr. Corona, California Graduated; selected 15th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2018 WNBA draft
Kelli Hayes G 6'0" Sr. San Jose, California Graduated

Incoming transfer

Name Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous
school
Natalie Chou Guard 6'1" So Plano, TX Baylor

2018 recruiting class

Source:[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ahlana Smith
G 		Charlotte, NC Mallard Creek 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Shayley Harris
P 		Redding, CA Folsom 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Kiara Jefferson
PG 		Sacramento, CA West Campus 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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:

Roster

2018–19 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Chantel Horvat 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) So Geelong College Geelong, Australia
G 1 Kayla Owens 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Fr Langham Creek Houston, TX
G 2 Ahlana Smith 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Fr Mallard Creek Charlotte, NC
G 3 Kiara Jefferson 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Fr West Campus Sacramento, CA
G 4 Lindsey Corsaro 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Fr Roncalli Indianapolis, IN
F 10 Ally Rosenblum 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Jr Mater Dei Newport Coast, CA
F 11 Lajahna Drummer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Sr Long Beach Poly HS Inglewood, CA
F 21 Michaela Onyenwere 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So Grandview Aurora, CO
G 22 Kennedy Burke 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Sr Sierra Canyon School Northridge, CA
G 23 Natalie Chou Current redshirt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Jr Plano West
Baylor 		Plano, TX
G 24 Japreece Dean 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Sr Vista Ridge
Texas Tech 		Austin, TX
F/C 25 Shayley Harris 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Fr Folsom Redding, CA
G 32 Chrissy Baird 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Sr Wheaton North Wheaton, IL
F 33 Lauryn Miller 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) So Kirkwood Kirkwood, MO
G 51 Eliana Sigal (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Tarbut V' Torah Irvine, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule

[3]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/03/2018*
2:00 pm 		Westmont W 75–55 
Pauley Pavilion (815)
Los Angeles, CA
Non-conference regular season
11/06/2018*
7:30 pm 		at Loyola Marymount L 63–69  0–1
 Gersten Pavilion (498)
Los Angeles, CA
11/11/2018*
2:00 pm 		Rice W 59–50  1–1
 Pauley Pavilion (1,353)
Los Angeles, CA
11/14/2018*
11:00 am, P12N 		No. 14 Georgia W 80–69  2–1
 Pauley Pavilion (5,113)
Los Angeles, CA
11/18/2018*
2:00 pm 		Seton Hall W 78–62  3–1
 Pauley Pavilion (2,157)
Los Angeles, CA
11/22/2018*
12:00 pm 		vs. North Carolina
Paradise Jam tournament Island Division 		L 49–83  3–2
 Sports and Fitness Center (874)
Saint Thomas, USVI
11/23/2018*
10:00 am 		vs. Kentucky
Paradise Jam Tournament Island Division 		L 74–75 OT 3–3
 Sports and Fitness Center 
Saint Thomas, USVI
11/24/2018*
12:00 pm 		vs. No. 17 South Florida
Paradise Jam Tournament Island Division 		L 56–60  3–4
 Sports and Fitness Center (814)
Saint Thomas, USVI
12/02/2018*
1:00 pm, P12N 		Indiana L 65–67  3–5
 Pauley Pavilion (3,511)
Los Angeles, CA
12/07/2018*
7:00 pm 		Fresno State W 89–80  4–5
 Pauley Pavilion (1,190)
Los Angeles, CA
12/16/2018*
2:00 pm 		Oklahoma State W 71–59  5–5
 Pauley Pavilion (2,501)
Los Angeles, CA
12/19/2018*
4:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at UIC W 78–47  6–5
 Credit Union 1 Arena (640)
Chicago, IL
12/28/2018*
5:00 pm 		Cal Poly W 81–35  7–5
 Pauley Pavilion (2,121)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 regular season
12/30/2018
2:00 pm, P12N 		at USC
Rivalry 		W 72–65  8–5
(1–0) 		Galen Center (1,173)
Los Angeles, CA
01/04/2019
7:00 pm, P12N 		at No. 18 California W 84–79 OT 9–5
(2–0) 		Haas Pavilion (2,107)
Berkeley, CA
01/06/2019
1:00 pm, P12N 		at No. 6 Stanford L 80–86  9–6
(2–1) 		Maples Pavilion (3,231)
Stanford, CA
01/11/2019
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 10 Oregon State L 73–83  9–7
(2–2) 		Pauley Pavilion (2,404)
Los Angeles, CA
01/13/2019
2:00 pm, P12N 		No. 5 Oregon L 52–72  9–8
(2–3) 		Pauley Pavilion (8,036)
Los Angeles, CA
01/20/2019
4:00 pm, P12N 		USC
Rivalry 		L 67–72  9–9
(2–4) 		Pauley Pavilion (6,103)
Los Angeles, CA
01/25/2019
10:00 am, P12N 		at No. 16 Arizona State W 61–59  10–9
(3–4) 		Wells Fargo Arena (7,322)
Tempe, AZ
01/27/2019
1:00 pm, P12N 		at Arizona W 98–93 3OT 11–9
(4–4) 		McKale Center (2,327)
Tucson, AZ
02/01/2019
7:00 pm 		Washington State W 83–56  12–9
(5–4) 		Pauley Pavilion (1,419)
Los Angeles, CA
02/03/2019
12:30 pm 		Washington W 76–60  13–9
(6–4) 		Pauley Pavilion (1,642)
Los Angeles, CA
02/08/2019
6:00 pm, P12N 		at Colorado W 64–60  14–9
(7–4) 		CU Events Center (2,261)
Boulder, CO
02/10/2019
11:00 am, P12N 		at No. 17 Utah W 100–90  15–9
(8–4) 		Jon M. Huntsman Center (2,107)
Salt Lake City, UT
02/15/2019
6:00 pm, P12N 		No. 10 Stanford L 51–65  15–10
(8–5) 		Pauley Pavilion (2,479)
Los Angeles, CA
02/17/2019
4:00 pm, P12N 		California W 80–74  16–10
(9–5) 		Pauley Pavilion (2,127)
Los Angeles, CA
02/22/2019
8:00 pm, P12N 		at No. 2 Oregon W 74–69  17–10
(10–5) 		Matthew Knight Arena (8,858)
Eugene, OR
02/24/2019
1:00 pm, P12N 		at No. 12 Oregon State L 72–75  17–11
(10–6) 		Gill Coliseum (5,916)
Corvallis, OR
03/01/2019
7:00 pm 		No. 25 Utah W 76–60  18–11
(11–6) 		Pauley Pavilion (1,450)
Los Angeles, CA
03/03/2019
12:00 pm, P12N 		No. 25 Colorado W 84–50  19–11
(12–6) 		Pauley Pavilion (2,411)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Women's tournament
03/08/2019
11:30 am, P12N 		(4) No. 25 vs. (5) No. 20 Arizona State
Quarterfinals 		W 73–69  20–11
 MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Paradise, NV
03/09/2019
6:00 pm, P12N 		(4) No. 25 vs. (1) No. 6 Oregon
Semifinals 		L 83–88 OT 20–12
 MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Paradise, NV
NCAA Women's tournament
03/23/2019*
10:30 am, ESPN2 		(6 A) No. 20 vs. (11 A) Tennessee
First Round 		W 89–77  21–12
 Xfinity Center (5,072)
College Park, MD
03/25/2019*
4:00 pm, ESPN 		(6 A) No. 20 at (3 A) No. 9 Maryland
Second Round 		W 85–80  22–12
 Xfinity Center (3,941)
College Park, MD
03/29/2019*
4:00 pm, ESPN 		(6 A) No. 20 vs. (2 A) No. 2 Connecticut
Sweet Sixteen 		L 61–69  22–13
 Times Union Center 
Albany, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
A=Albany Region.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Rankings

2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Regular Season Polls
Poll Pre-
Season		 Week
2		 Week
3		 Week
4		 Week
5		 Week
6		 Week
7		 Week
8		 Week
9		 Week
10		 Week
11		 Week
12		 Week
13		 Week
14		 Week
15		 Week
16		 Week
17		 Week
18		 Week
19		 Final
AP RV RV RV RV 25 25 20 N/A
Coaches 23 23^ RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 14
Legend
  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
(RV)   Received Votes
(NR)   Not Ranked

^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

Honors

  • March 5, 2019 – Michaela Onyenwere was named All-Pac-12 team, Kennedy Burke was named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and All-Defensive team, Lindsey Corsaro named to the All-Freshman team
  • March 6, 2019 – Coach Cori Close was named the Pac-12 media Coach of the Year
  • March 10, 2019 – Kennedy Burke and Japreece Dean were named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team

See also

2018–19 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

Notes

  • March 3, 2019 – The Bruins earned a four seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and play on Friday, March 8's quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m. (PT)

References

  1. ^ "Cori Close Awarded Media Pac-12 Coach of the Year".
  2. ^ "UCLA Bruins". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "UCLA Athletics". UCLABruins.com. Retrieved November 21, 2017.