How To Watch, Game Preview and Game Thread: #2 UCLA Bruins vs. Washington Huskies
The Bruins have won the last eight games against the Huskies and haven't lost to them at home since 2014.
Tonight, the UCLA women’s basketball team is looking to clinch the Big Ten regular season title. A win over the Washington Huskies at home will seal the deal.
To be sure, technically speaking, a win tonight will ensure that the Bruins will finish no worse than tied for first with Michigan, but UCLA’s recent win over the Wolverines gives the Bruins the tiebreaker and the regular season title if the teams finish tied in the standings. As long as UCLA takes care of business tonight, they won’t finish any worse than tied with Michigan.
Last Time Out
On Sunday, the Bruins destroyed the unranked Indiana Hoosiers, 92-48.
One of my tried and true maxims of college basketball, especially come tournament time, is that the only thing that matters in college basketball is the last four minutes of the game. This year’s Bruins are the exception which proves that rule, and they’ve created a new rule: the only thing which matters is the first minute of the game.
That’s because, if you miss the first minute of the game, you may just missed the only part of the game which is competitive. Sunday’s game was further evidence of this as the Bruins scored the first basket on a jumper by Gianna Kneepkens and, with 8:43 to go in the first, Lauren Betts gave UCLA a 4-0 lead. At that point, this game was effectively over.
The Bruins went on to outscore the Hoosiers 17-10 in the first quarter and they led 47-20 at the break. When Kneepkens began the second half the way she started the first, it proved to be the game-winning shot because it gave UCLA a 49-20 led Indiana would not recover from.
The Bruins added 27 more points in the third quarter to take a 76-34 lead into the last quarter. The only quarter which was remotely close was the fourth, but even then UCLA outscored the Hoosiers 16-14 for a 92-48 final.
Seven Bruins finished the game in double figures. Kiki Rice led all scorers with 17 points. She just missed a double-double with nine rebounds while Lauren Betts recorded another double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker each scored 12 and Gabriela Jaquez put up 11. Finally, Sienna Betts and Lena Bilić each added 10.
The Huskies are coached by Tina Langley, who is in her fifth year at UW and in her 11th season as a head coach overall. The only times Langley’s teams have finished under .500 was in her first season at Rice and her first season with the Huskies. Last year, she led the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament. Before taking the head coaching job at Rice, she was an assistant to Brenda Freese at Maryland.
Washington Huskies’ Starting Five
Langley will likely start a lineup with four guards and a forward.
The Huskies are led by junior guard Sayvia Sellers. Sellers is averaging 19.3 ppg and she leads the team in both assists with 91 and steals with 42. Her 37.2% three-point percentage is second on the team behind Avery Howell.
Howell is shooting 41.8% from beyond the arc. The sophomore transfer from Boise spent last season at Southern Cal. This year, she’s averaging 13.5 ppg and she leads Washington with an average of 8.4 rpg.
Senior Elle Ladine is the last Husky starter averaging in double figures with 10.1 ppg. She is tied for second with center Yulia Grabovskaia in rebounds with an average of 5.0 rpg.
Senior Hannah Stines is the fourth starting guard for the Huskies. She’s averaging just 6.7 ppg and she is second on the team in assists with 64.
The final Washington starter will be either Grabovskaia or freshman Brynn McGaughy. McGaughy has been the more productive of the two, averaging 8.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg while Grabovskaia is averaging 4.4 ppg along with 5.0 rpg. While McGaughy has started the last four games, Grabovskaia may provide a better matchup for the Huskies against Lauren Betts. As a result, she may get the start over McGaughy. Either way, expect the other one to see plenty of time tonight.
Analysis
Washington isn’t a bad team. They are 19-7 overall this year and 9-6 in conference play. They even received 27 votes in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll, which is 27th most, and they earned 12 votes in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll, good for 29th most.
But the fact of the matter is that the Bruins have destroyed every team they have played which wasn’t ranked in the Top 10 this season, and the same should happen tonight.
Watch and Listen to the Game With TMB
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and streamed on FoxSports.com with Cindy Brunson and Isis Young calling the game. Of course, you can opt to listen to Dave Marcus with the audio call which will be streamed on uclabruins.com. To watch or listen online, just right-click on the links so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below.
This is your #2 UCLA women’s basketball vs. the Washington Huskies game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream tonight’s game:
#2 UCLA Women’s Basketball (25-1, 15-0)
Opponent: Washington Huskies (19-7, 9-6)
Series Record: UCLA leads, 50-43.
When: 7:00 pm PT, Thursday, February 19, 2026
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV: BTN with Krista Blunk and Elise Woodward
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app
Radio/Audio
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM Ch. 85 (UCLA Call)
Online: uclabruins.com with Dave Marcus
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
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just got home from the Mary Nutter Softball Classic where UCLA destroyed Auburn 23-1...that's not a typo and they ended the game after the fifth...tomorrow we play two games, Nevada and Duke, then Saturday Fresno State and South Carolina then Sunday Texas A and M. I bought all 4 days. although, it was not chamber of commerce weather today. frickin' cold and rainy. by cold I mean 59 which is like the Arctic out here.
Greetings from Pauley Pavilion.