Postgame Talk: UCLA Makes Statement With Dominant 96-45 Victory Over Iowa, Claim Second Straight Big Ten Tournament Championship

The Bruins put on a defensive clinic en route to the blowout championship victory.

Kiki Rice (Photo credit: @UCLAWBB)

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After yesterday’s victory over Ohio State, I lamented that the UCLA Bruins seemed to be coasting through the Big Ten Tournament and weren’t showing off the killer instinct that you would expect from a #1 seed.

Consider that critique sufficiently answered.

The UCLA Bruins put up a statement performance in the Big Ten Championship Game, running the Iowa Hawkeyes off the court early in the first quarter and never taking their foot off the gas en route to a 96-45 victory, clinching their second-straight Big Ten Tournament Championship to pair with their regular season championship.

It is hard to overstate how dominant the Bruins were in this game. UCLA shot 63.5% from the field in the game, blitzing the Hawkeyes from deep (the Bruins shot 50% on 13-26 from three-point range) and in the paint, where they scored 44 of their 96 points. A large factor on offense was how selfless UCLA was; the Bruins set a new Big Ten Tournament record with 34 assists in the game, with eight different Bruins logging at least one assist. Iowa had no answer to what the Bruins were doing on offense, looking a step slow at all times. I’m sure you could blame part of that on the fact that Iowa was in a slugfest against Michigan yesterday, while the Bruins have largely cruised through the tournament, but that’s just part of the game.

But I will state that UCLA’s offense was not the story of the game, but rather the defense. UCLA made life a living hell for every Iowa player on the court, limiting the Hawkeyes to 27.9% from the field and forcing 19 turnovers. The Bruins recorded 15 steals in the game, which led to 22 fast-break points, with each one feeling like a backbreaker. Even after a missed shot, the Bruins were running in transition, which led to a lot of easy offense. UCLA also got five blocks, and in general, limited the Hawkeyes to only 16 points in the paint, which forced the Hawkeyes into being a jump shooting team. If there was a nit to pick, it was the sheer amount of offensive rebounds the Bruins allowed Iowa to grab (13 in total), but that’s something that can be cleaned up.

Kiki Rice was sensational in the game, earning Big Ten Tournament Player of the Tournament honors in the process. Rice finished with 15 points and eight assists, looking calmer and more in control than she has in perhaps her entire UCLA career. I’ve been concerned about Rice’s role on this team, especially given the arrival of Charlisse Leger-Walker as the primary ballhandler, and while she has had some pedestrian games throughout the year, the Big Ten Tournament has seen Rice peaking at the right time. Rice was especially engaged on the defensive end, grabbing three steals and a host of deflections, utilizing her athleticism to keep Iowa’s guards in front of her the entire time.

The rest of the Bruins were no slouches either. Gianna Kneepkens led the team with 19 points on 6-11 shooting. Iowa seemingly lost Kneepkens on every other possession, as the senior guard got numerous open looks that you would not expect to get in a conference championship game. Gabriela Jaquez chipped in 12 points on 5-6 shooting while adding three steals of her own. Charlisse Leger-Walker was more engaged offensively in this game, getting 11 points on 4-8 shooting (3-6 from deep), while similarly nabbing three steals. Leger-Walker, in particular, had a knack for just knocking the ball loose against Iowa, and if StatBroadcast kept track of deflections, I have a feeling she would have led the team.

If you were just looking at the box score, you’d have thought that Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts had a pedestrian game, and on some level, you would be correct. Betts finished with only 10 points on 5-9 shooting, as Iowa followed the Ohio State playbook of focusing on limiting Betts’s ability to touch the ball in the post. That said, Betts was an absolute force on the defensive end; Iowa seemed afraid to go inside and challenge Betts, and every time they tried, Betts was more than willing to rise to the occasion. Betts finished with three steals and a block, but what won’t show up on the scoresheet is how many shots she altered with her presence.

UCLA got some solid production from the bench, which is what you would expect from a game that was over after the first quarter. Angela Dugelic did not explode offensively as she has in the last few games, but she recorded two blocks and a steal to go with a highlight behind-the-back throw-ahead pass to Rice for an easy transition basket. Dugelic had seven rebounds, which tied for a team-high with another bench player, Sienna Betts. The younger Betts sister had an exceptional performance off the bench, scoring 14 points on 7-8 shooting, showing off a touch on the outside while hitting some tough shots on the interior. Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse also provided some good minutes off the bench, though at this point, it is safe to say this is a seven-woman rotation, and any extra minutes they can get will be a bonus.

For the Bruins, this victory could not have come at a better time. You always want to be playing your best basketball late, and Iowa represented the best test they’ve seen in over a month. The Big Ten has been a strong conference, but UCLA has also spent much of the last month playing teams on the lower side of the conference, and not a team that could give them a legitimate challenge. For UCLA to come into this game focused and put away a good opponent early is a great sign for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Bruins will be a #1 seed again and should have a relatively easy path to the Sweet Sixteen at the very least, so they’ll be able to ease their way into what should be the most important postseason in UCLA’s history.

Go Bruins!

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