Leger-Walker Leads Bruins Past Trojans, 73-50, and to Undefeated Conference Schedule
The graduate transfer tied her season-high with 20 points against UCLA's rival.
After today’s UCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori Close told a story she recruited Charlisse Leger-Walker who had entered the portal after playing her senior season at Washington State. “When she went into the portal, I could not call quick enough,” Close said. “I knew that she would bring to us what I saw her do at Washington State, and she has exceeded my expectations. It has just been an absolute joy not just to coach her but to be a part of her life.”
Watching today’s game against the Bruins’ crosstown rival Southern Cal, it was easy to see why. Leger-Walker tied her career-high today, scoring 20 points as the Bruins cruised past the Trojans, 73-50, and finished the regular season undefeated in Big Ten play.
When the game tipped off, Lauren Betts won the jumpball and, 30 seconds later, Gianna Kneepkens scored the first points of the game with a jumper in the paint. While UCLA never trailed as a result, Leger-Walker ensured the Trojans wouldn’t tie the game when she drove for a layup with 8:17 to go and gave the Bruins a 4-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, she gave the Bruins a 9-2 lead, hitting a three-pointer after a steal by Gabriela Jaquez. UCLA would go on to take a 19-11 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the Bruins stretch their lead out to double digits and then some. Lauren Betts ended the half with just her second basket of the game to give UCLA a 38-20 lead at the break.
The second half proved to be closer than the first. After the half began with the teams trading buckets, Southern Cal went on a 9-0 which cut the Bruins’ lead to just nine, 40-31. That led Close to call a timeout with 8:14 to go in the third. After the game, Jaquez spoke about how Close was the calm one during the timeout. Jaquez said:
“We said a lot to each other. I think that coach Cory kind of knew that and so she kind of played the calmer role in that and I think that is what is good and that’s what we work on, like if she’s super amped up, then we got to chill, but if we’re amped up, she can be the chill one.”
After Jaquez said that, Close chuckled as the media in the room couldn’t seem to believe that she could be calm. Close replied, “Once in a while” seeming to acknowledge that she has a tendency to be, as Jaquez put it, “amped.”
It seemed to work as Jaquez hit a three out of the timeout to re-establish a double-digit lead for UCLA. The Trojans would not be able to get the lead under ten points for the rest of the game. With 1:31 left in the third, Kiki Rice hit a jumper which gave gave the Bruins a 52-36 lead. That shot would prove to be the game-winner for UCLA. Meanwhile, Leger-Walker quietly added 10 of the Bruins’ 19 third quarter points, and UCLA was up 57-36 when the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter.
When the Bruins stretched their lead to 29 with 4:57 left in the game, and UCLA up 71-42, it looked like they might even surpass the 34-point margin of victory they had when they met the Trojans at Pauley Pavilion in January. During a timeout right after Rice hit the shot which put the Bruins up by that margin, the Southern Cal band decided to start playing “Conquest.” The irony of that wasn’t lost on me as they played it. This game was, indeed, a conquest—by the Bruins.
During the final five minutes of the game, Southern Cal managed to trim UCLA’s lead down to a mere 23 points. Interestingly, this game ended for UCLA the same way it began with a field goal by Lauren Betts. It was just her second basket of the game as she was held to a season-low of just five points for the game.
In addition to Leger-Walker’s game-high 20 points, both Gianna Kneepkens and Gabriela Jaquez scored 14 for the Bruins while Rice added 11. While Betts didn’t do much scoring today, she was an absolute monster on the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds with nine of them coming off the offensive glass. She also tied Kneepkens for the team high in assists with five each.
With the regular season now finished, the Bruins will now be off until Friday when UCLA will meet the winner of Thursday’s Washington-Southern Cal game. Tip-off for the Bruins’ quarterfinal game will be at 9 am PT and the game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
Go Bruins!!!
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