2024–25 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team
Intercollegiate basketball season
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The 2024–25 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins were led by head coach Cori Close in her fourteenth year, and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion. This marked the program's first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference.[1] The Bruins were ranked No. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history after defeating the defending 2024 national champion South Carolina on November 24, 2024.[2] The statement win over South Carolina broke the Gamecocks 43 game winning streak, the 7th longest women's Division I basketball streak at the time.[3][4]
| 2024–25 UCLA Bruins women's basketball | |
|---|---|
| |
Big Ten tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, Final Four | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 3 |
| AP | No. 3 |
| Record | 34–3 (16–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| Associate head coach | Shannon Perry-LeBeauf |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Pauley Pavilion |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 USC | 17 | – | 1 | .944 | 31 | – | 4 | .886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 UCLA † | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 34 | – | 3 | .919 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Ohio State | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 26 | – | 7 | .788 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Maryland | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 25 | – | 8 | .758 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Michigan | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 19 | – | 14 | .576 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 25 | – | 11 | .694 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 13 | – | 20 | .394 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 10 | – | 19 | .345 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 9 | – | 18 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 1 | – | 17 | .056 | 10 | – | 19 | .345 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 Big Ten tournament winner As of April 7, 2025 Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2024–25 season was the first for UCLA and USC in the Big Ten Conference and a notable chapter in the history of the UCLA–USC rivalry. The Bruins were undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the polls before the two teams met in 2025. On February 13, 2025, the No. 6 Trojans defeated the Bruins 71–60 for the Trojans' first victory against a No. 1 team at home.[5][6] In the re-match at Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 2025, the Trojans and Bruins were tied for first place in the Big Ten in the final regular season game. In that game, No. 4 ranked USC Defeated No. 2 ranked UCLA 80–67 to win the regular season Big Ten championship.[7] Both games drew national attention and media coverage, with many celebrities in attendance.[8][9] The teams met a third time in the 2025 Big Ten women's basketball tournament championship game on March 9, 2025. The Bruins defeated the Trojans to win the Big Ten Tournament championship and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.[10]
UCLA finished the regular season with a 27–2 record, 16–2 in conference and a second-place finish, with their only losses coming to USC. For the first time in school history, the UCLA Bruins were a number 1 seed and also the number 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. UCLA reached the Final Four of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament for the first time in program history.[lead 1][11] Arriving at the Final Four, the UCLA women's basketball team traveled more than any other in the country during the season with 36,116 air miles.[12] They lost to the eventual national champion UConn Huskies in a semi-final game.[13] A documentary named You See LA produced by Fox Sports was broadcast on March 1, 2026 on FS1 immediately following the 2026 UCLA-USC women's basketball game.[14][15] The episode includes footage from games and post-game locker room team meetings, team gatherings, and interviews.[16]
Previous season
The Bruins finished the 2023–24 season with a 27–7 record, including 13–5 in Pac-12 play to finish in third place. They received an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and were eliminated in the sweet sixteen by LSU.[17]
Offseason
The freshman recruiting class was 2nd in the nation in early rankings by ESPN,[18] and 4th in the final rankings.[19]
Departures
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Bessoir | 11 | F | 6'4" | Redshirt junior | Munich, Germany | Graduated |
| Charisma Osborne | 20 | G | 5'9" | Graduate student | Moreno Valley, CA | Graduated |
| Lina Sontag | 21 | F | 6'3" | Sophomore | Kleinmachnow, Germany | Retired |
| Camryn Brown | 35 | G | 5'11" | Graduate student | Lewisville, TX | Graduated |
| Izzy Anstey | 43 | F | 6'4" | Redshirt junior | Melbourne, Australia | Graduated |
| Christeen Iwuala | 22 | F | 6’2” | Sophomore | San Antonio, Texas | Transferred to Mississippi |
Incoming
| Name | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janiah Barker | F | 6'4" | Junior | Marietta, GA | Texas A&M |
| Charlisse Leger-Walker | F | 5'10" | Graduate student | Waikato, New Zealand | Washington State |
| Timea Gardiner | F | 6'3" | Junior | Ogden, UT | Oregon State |
Recruiting
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kendall Dudley W |
Centreville, VA | Sidwell Friends School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | N/A | ||
Recruit ratings: ESPN:  (96) | ||||||
| Avary Cain G |
Santa Maria, CA | Saint Joseph High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (96) | ||||||
| Zania Socka-Nguemen F |
Washington, D.C. | Sidwell Friends School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A | ||
Recruit ratings: ESPN:  (95) | ||||||
| Elina Aarnisalo G |
Helsinki, Finland | Mäkelänrinne Upper Secondary School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (N/A) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: ESPN: 4[20] | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2024–25 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 11:30 a.m., ESPN2 |
No. 5 | vs. No. 17 Louisville Aflac Oui-Play |
W 66–59 | 1–0 |
Halle Georges Carpentier (3,472) Paris, France | ||||||
| November 10, 2024* 2:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 5 | Colgate | W 81–63 | 2–0 |
Pauley Pavilion (3,285) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| November 12, 2024* 11:30 a.m., B1G+ |
No. 5 | Pepperdine | W 91–54 | 3–0 |
Pauley Pavilion (3,898) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| November 17, 2024* 4:30 p.m., BTN |
No. 5 | Arkansas | W 101–52 | 4–0 |
Pauley Pavilion (2,255) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| November 24, 2024* 1:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 5 | No. 1 South Carolina | W 77–62[21] | 5–0 |
Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| November 29, 2024* 2:00 p.m. |
No. 1 | vs. UT Martin Rainbow Wahine Showdown |
W 97–37 | 6–0 |
SimpliFi Arena Honolulu, HI | ||||||
| November 30, 2024* 2:00 p.m. |
No. 1 | vs. Fresno State Rainbow Wahine Showdown |
W 97–41 | 7–0 |
SimpliFi Arena Honolulu, HI | ||||||
| December 1, 2024* 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 1 | at Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Showdown |
W 70–49 | 8–0 |
SimpliFi Arena (2,481) Honolulu, HI | ||||||
| December 8, 2024 2:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 1 | at Washington | W 73–62 | 9–0 (1–0) |
Alaska Airlines Arena (3,453) Seattle, WA | ||||||
| December 14, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 1 | at Long Beach State | W 102–51 | 10–0 |
Walter Pyramid (2,463) Long Beach, CA | ||||||
| December 16, 2024* 7:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 1 | Cal Poly | W 69–37 | 11–0 |
Pauley Pavilion (2,356) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| December 20, 2024* 8:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 1 | vs. Creighton Invisalign Bay Area Women's Classic |
W 70–41 | 12–0 |
Chase Center (3,766) San Francisco, CA | ||||||
| December 29, 2024 2:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 1 | Nebraska | W 91–54 | 13–0 (2–0) |
Pauley Pavilion (5,339) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| January 1, 2025 2:00 p.m., BTN |
No. 1 | No. 24 Michigan | W 86–70 | 14–0 (3–0) |
Pauley Pavilion (4,566) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| January 4, 2025 9:00 a.m., FOX |
No. 1 | at Indiana | W 73–62 | 15–0 (4–0) |
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (11,528) Bloomington, IN | ||||||
| January 7, 2025 4:00 p.m., BTN |
No. 1 | at Purdue | W 83–49 | 16–0 (5–0) |
Mackey Arena (3,742) West Lafayette, IN | ||||||
| January 12, 2025 2:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 1 | Northwestern | W | 16–0 (6–0) |
Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| January 15, 2025 6:30 p.m., Peacock |
No. 1 | Penn State | W 83–67 | 17–0 (7–0) |
Walter Pyramid[a] (1,563) Long Beach, CA | ||||||
| January 20, 2025 12:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 1 | vs. No. 25 Baylor Coretta Scott King Classic |
W 72–57 | 18–0 |
Prudential Center (6,147) Newark, NJ | ||||||
| January 23, 2025 4:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 1 | at Rutgers | W 84–66 | 19–0 (8–0) |
Jersey Mike's Arena (3,138) Piscataway, NJ | ||||||
| January 26, 2025 11:00 a.m., NBC |
No. 1 | at No. 8 Maryland | W 82–67 | 20–0 (9–0) |
Xfinity Center (13,648) College Park, MD | ||||||
| February 2, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN |
No. 1 | Minnesota | W 79–53 | 21–0 (10–0) |
Pauley Pavilion (6,184) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| February 5, 2025 6:30 p.m., Peacock |
No. 1 | No. 8 Ohio State | W 65–52 | 22–0 (11–0) |
Pauley Pavilion (6,822) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| February 9, 2025 1:00 p.m., B1G+ |
No. 1 | at Oregon | W 62–52 | 23–0 (12–0) |
Matthew Knight Arena (6,534) Eugene, OR | ||||||
| February 13, 2025 7:00 p.m., Peacock |
No. 1 | at No. 6 USC Rivalry |
L 60–71 | 23–1 (12–1) |
Galen Center (10,258) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| February 16, 2025 6:00 p.m., BTN |
No. 1 | No. 22 Michigan State | W 75–69 | 24–1 (13–1) |
Pauley Pavilion (7,563) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| February 20, 2025 6:30 p.m., BTN |
No. 3 | No. 25 Illinois | W 70–55 | 25–1 (14–1) |
Pauley Pavilion (5,435) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| February 23, 2025 11:00 a.m., Peacock |
No. 3 | at Iowa | W 67–65 | 26–1 (15–1) |
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,998) Iowa City, IA | ||||||
| February 26, 2025 5:00 p.m., Peacock |
No. 2 | at Wisconsin | W 91–61 | 27–1 (16–1) |
Kohl Center (3,897) Madison, WI | ||||||
| March 1, 2025 6:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 2 | No. 4 USC Rivalry |
L 67–80 | 27–2 (16–2) |
Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| Big Ten women's tournament | |||||||||||
| March 7, 2025 3:30 p.m., BTN |
(2) No. 4 | vs. (10) Nebraska Quarterfinals |
W 85–74 | 28–2 |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse (7,500) Indianapolis, IN | ||||||
| March 8, 2025 5:30 p.m., BTN |
(2) No. 4 | vs. (3) No. 13 Ohio State Semifinals |
W 75–46 | 29–2 |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse (7,805) Indianapolis, IN | ||||||
| March 9, 2025 1:30 p.m., CBS |
(2) No. 4 | vs. (1) No. 2 USC Championship/Rivalry |
W 72–67[23][24] | 30–2 |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse (8,358) Indianpolis, IN | ||||||
| NCAA women's tournament | |||||||||||
| March 21, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
(1 S1) No. 1 | (16 S1) Southern First Round |
W 84–46 | 31–2 |
Pauley Pavilion (5,703) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| March 23, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
(1 S1) No. 1 | (8 S1) Richmond Second Round |
W 84–67 | 32–2 |
Pauley Pavilion (6,119) Los Angeles, CA | ||||||
| March 28, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
(1 S1) No. 1 | vs. (5 S1) No. 25 Ole Miss Sweet Sixteen |
W 76–62[25] | 33–2 |
Spokane Arena (8,789) Spokane, WA | ||||||
| March 30, 2025* 12:00 p.m., ABC |
(1 S1) No. 1 | vs. (3 S1) No. 10 LSU Elite Eight |
W 72–65[26] | 34–2 |
Spokane Arena (9,299) Spokane, WA | ||||||
| April 4, 2025* 6:30 p.m, ESPN |
(1 S1) No. 1 | vs. (2 S4) No. 3 UConn Final Four |
L 51–85[13] | 34–3 |
Amalie Arena (19,731) Tampa, FL | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S1=Spokane 1. S4=Spokane 4. All times are in Pacific Time. Source:[27][28] | |||||||||||
Notes:
- Game moved from Pauley to the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.[22]
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 (20) | 1 (25) | 1 (24) | 1 (30) | 1 (30) | 1 (30) | 1 (30) | 1 (29) | 1 (27) | 1 (31) | 1 (32) | 1 (31) | 3 (6) | 2 (11) | 4 | 1 (16) | 1 (19) | 3 |
| Coaches | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 (14) | 1 (16) | 1 (23) | 1 (31) | 1 (30) | 1 (31) | 1 (31) | 1 (30) | 1 (29) | 1 (30) | 1 (29) | 1 (31) | 3 (3) | 2 (7) | 4 | 1 (20) | 1 (21) | 3 |
Awards and honors
- February 20, 2025 – Lauren Betts broke the school record with 67 blocks in a season[29]
- March 9, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team and was the most outstanding player[30]
- March 9, 2025 – First Big Ten Tournament Championship and First 30 wins in a season[31]
- March 19, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named as both an AP[32] and a USBWA[33] First Team All–American[34]
- March 20, 2025 – Coach Cori Close was named USBWA Coach of the Year[35]
- March 24, 2025 – Coach Cori Close was named a finalist for the Naismith College Coach of the Year[36]
- March 25, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named one of four finalists for the Naismith Women's Player of the Year[37]
- March 26 , 2025 – Tony Newnan was named the WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year[38]
- March 30, 2025 - Lauren Betts was the Most Outstanding player of the Spokane 1 regional and was named to all-tournament team along with Kiki Riceand Gabriela Jaquez following their defeat of LSU to reach the Final Four.[39]
- April 2, 2025 – Coach Cori Close was the 2025 Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year[40]
- April 2, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named the 2025 Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year[41]
- April 2, 2025 – Kiki Rice received the NCAA Elite 90 Award[42]
- April 3, 2025 - Cori Close was named The Associated Press Coach of the Year[43]
- April 4, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named to the John R. Wooden Award Women’s All America team[44]
- April 5, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named the Lisa Leslie Center of The Year[45]
- April 6, 2025 – Lauren Betts was named to the NCAA WBB Final Four all-tournament team[46]
- The team set UCLA women's basketball records for consecutive wins (23), in most wins (27) and, in consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 in the country (12) by the Associated Press.[47]