UCLA Bruins women's basketball
College women's basketball team
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The UCLA Bruins women's basketball team, established in 1974, represents the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Big Ten Conference.[2] The team competes in women's college basketball against teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The current coach is Cori Close.[3] Home games are played in Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
(capacity: 12,829)
| UCLA Bruins women's basketball | |||||||||||
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| University | University of California, Los Angeles | ||||||||||
| Head coach | Cori Close (15th season) | ||||||||||
| Location | Los Angeles, California | ||||||||||
| Arena | Pauley Pavilion (capacity: 12,829) | ||||||||||
| Conference | Big Ten | ||||||||||
| Nickname | Bruins | ||||||||||
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] | ||||||||||
| Student section | The Den | ||||||||||
| All-time record | 890–549 (.618) | ||||||||||
| NCAA Division I tournament champions | |||||||||||
| 2026 | |||||||||||
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| AIAW tournament champions | |||||||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||||
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| Conference tournament champions | |||||||||||
| Pac-12: 2006 Big Ten: 2025, 2026 | |||||||||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||||||||
| Pac-12: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1999 Big Ten: 2026 | |||||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||||
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The team was a member of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) until joining the NCAA in 1981–82 season. The team was a member of the Western Collegiate Athletic Association conference until women's basketball was organized in the Pac-10 conference for the 1986–87 season. The 1977-78 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team won the 1978 AIAW National Large College Basketball Championship, and a banner commemorating the championship hangs in Pauley Pavilion. The 2014–15 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team won the 2015 WNIT championship. In the 2024–25 Bruins' season, the Bruins made their first Final Four appearance in the modern era of the NCAA championship.[4], The 2025–26 Bruins went 37–1 and won the program's second women's basketball national championship, and the first basketball championship in the NCAA era.[5]
History
Women's sports programs at UCLA were established as a response to Title IX.[6] Dr. Judith Holland was named the athletic director for women's sports.[7] In 1974, UCLA was a well established men's basketball powerhouse, having won 9 of their 10 championships under Coach John Wooden. The first UCLA Women's basketball team was established for the 1974-75 season.[2] Ann Meyers was the first woman recruited to play in college basketball at any university with a four-year scholarship.[8] This is regarded as one of the defining moments in the history of women's sports.[9]
Coach Kenny Washington (1974-75)
Kenny Washington, a basketball star on UCLA men's championship teams, became the first coach of the UCLA women's basketball program.[10] He coached one season, leading the Bruins to an 18–4 record behind star Ann Meyers.[11] He was the first African-American head coach at UCLA in any sport.[12]
Coach Ellen Mosher (1975-77)
In the 1976-77 season Coach Ellen Mosher and the Bruins won the WCAA with a 7–1 record.[2] The largest win of the season was over number 5 ranked Cal State Fullerton coached by Billie Moore, which was the first Bruin win over a top ten ranked team. Moore's Fullerton teams had won the WCAA conference each of the previous 7 seasons.[13] Overall the Bruins finished with a 16–1 regular season record and an invitation to the 1977 AIAW National Large College Basketball Championship. They lost in the regionals to the same Cal State Fullerton team with whom they had split the regular season conference games. Subsequently, the Bruins were invited to the 1978 National Women's Invitational Tournament (NWIT). Advancing to the finals of the NWIT, they lost to Number 7 ranked Wayland Baptist in the championship game. Their win loss record was 20–3. In April, Mosher resigned and Moore was hired as the new head coach.[14] Mosher took a job as the coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team.
Coach Billie Moore (1977-93)
Billie Moore was hired from Cal State Fullerton at the team. [15][16] In two of the next three seasons, Moore led the Bruins to high national rankings. She coached at UCLA for 16 seasons, compiling a 296–181 record. However, the Bruins were 127–102 in her last eight seasons, and did not finish higher than third place in the Pacific-10 Conference during that span. She resigned after a 13–14 finish in the 1992–93 season, amid criticism in recent years of her coaching methods, as well as an ongoing review of her program after a player alleged mental and verbal abuse by Moore.[17][16]
1977-78 Season: AIAW National Championship
The 1978 team, led by Ann Meyers, Denise Curry and Anita Ortega, won the 1978 AIAW tournament under head coach Billie Moore. The Bruins defeated Maryland 90–74 on March 25, 1978 in front of a record crowd of 9,351 at Pauley Pavilion for the championship.[18] Meyers had 20 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and eight steals. Ortega recorded a team high 23 points. This team finished the season with a 27–3 record, including a then WCAA conference title.
Coach Kathy Olivier (1994-2008)
Kathy Olivier moved from rival USC under Linda Sharp as an assistant coach under Billie Moore in 1986. Following Moore's resignation, UCLA promoted Olivier to head coach on May 3, 1993.[19] In 15 seasons at UCLA, Olivier went 232–208, with the program's first Pac-10 regular season title in 1999 and first Pac-10 Tournament title in 2006.[20][21][22] UCLA made five NCAA Tournaments (1998–2000, 2004, 2006), with its most successful run being to the Elite Eight in 1999.[20] Following a 16–15 season, Olivier resigned from UCLA on March 11, 2008.[23]
Coach Nikki Fargas (2008-11)
Nikki Fargas was named the head coach at UCLA on April 17, 2008, with a five-year contract valued at nearly $1.5 million.[24] In her first season, UCLA compiled a regular-season record of 18 wins and 11 losses.[25] During the 2009–2010 season, UCLA placed second in the Pac-10 (25–9) and was defeated by second-ranked Stanford in the Pac-10 tournament.
Coach Cori Close (2011 - Present)
Cori Close was named head coach on April 21, 2011.[3] Close was on the Bruin coaching staff in for the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, where she also formed a mentorship relationship with mens's coach emeritus, John Wooden.[26][27]
2024-25 Season: NCAA Final Four
The Bruins finished the 2024–25 season with a 34–3 record, including 16–2 in Big Ten play to finish in second place to USC. UCLA proceeded to beat USC in the 2025 Big Ten conference tournament to win the championship.[28] They were ranked No. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history.[29] They received the number 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and reached their first NCAA Final Four game[lead 1][30], where they were eliminated by the eventual national champion UConn.[31][32] 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.[33][34] The episode includes footage from games and post-game locker room team meetings, team gatherings, and interviews.[35]
2025-26 Season: 1st NCAA National Championship
The 2025-26 Bruins went 37–1 and won the program's second women's basketball national championship, and the first basketball championship in the NCAA era.[5] The Bruins won the outright regular season Big Ten conference championship, going undefeated[36][37] Seeded number 1 in the Big Ten tournament, the Bruins won all three games, concluding with a tournament record-setting win over number 8 ranked Iowa.[38] For the NCAA tournament, the Bruins were the number 2 seed overall and number one in the Sacramento region.[39] Reaching the final four, the Bruins won the re-match with the Texas Longhorns, the one loss they experienced all season.[40] In a dominating performance, UCLA defeated South Carolina 79-51 in the national championship game.[5] All six senior players were selected in the 2026 WNBA draft, five in the first round, setting a record.[41]
Venue
The Pauley Pavilion is UCLA's home venue. The building, designed by architect Welton Becket,[42] was dedicated in June 1965, named for University of California Regent Edwin W. Pauley, who had matched the alumni contributions. Pauley donated almost one fifth of the more than $5 million spent in constructing the arena. The arena was renovated in 2010–12 and was reopened on November 9, 2012, when it hosted a men's basketball game against Indiana State.
The arena contains 11,307 permanent theater-style upholstered seats, plus retractable seats for 2,492 spectators (466 seats without backs used by the band and students), making a total basketball capacity of 13,800. When the floor seats are retracted, there is space for three full-sized basketball courts. These courts are used for team practice, intramural games, and pickup basketball games. It can also serve as a convention hall or large dining area when in this configuration.
Pauley Pavillion also serves as home venue to the men's and women's volleyball teams.
Players
Current roster
| 2026–27 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable players
Bruins in the WNBA
Drafted
| Player | Draft | Seasons | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehema Stephens | 1998 – 25th by Los Angeles | 1 | (1998) Last with Sacramento |
| Natalie Williams | 1999 – 3rd by Utah | 7 | (1999–2005) Last with the Indiana Fever; Current Las Vegas Aces General Manager |
| Maylana Martin | 2000 – 10th by Minnesota | 2 | (2000–2001) Last with the Minnesota Lynx |
| Nicole Kaczmarski | 2003 – 39th by New York | 0 | - |
| Lisa Willis | 2006 – 5th by Los Angeles | 4 | (2006-2009) Last with the Sacramento Monarchs |
| Nikki Blue | 2006 – 19th by Washington | 6 | (2006-2010) Last with the New York Liberty |
| Noelle Quinn | 2007 – 4th by Minnesota | 12 | (2007-2018) Last with the Seattle Storm; Former Seattle Storm Head Coach; WNBA Champion - Player WNBA Champion - Coach |
| Lindsey Pluimer | 2008 – 20th by Washington | 0 | - |
| Nirra Fields | 2016 – 32nd by Phoenix | 1 | (2016) Last with the Phoenix Mercury |
| Jordin Canada | 2018 – 5th by Seattle | 6 | (2018-Present) Currently with Atlanta 2x WNBA Champion |
| Monique Billings | 2018 – 15th by Atlanta | 6 | (2018-Present) Currently with Golden State |
| Kennedy Burke | 2019 – 22nd by Dallas | 4 | (2019-2022) Last with Washington |
| Japreece Dean | 2020 – 30th by Chicago | 0 | - |
| Michaela Onyenwere | 2021 – 6th by New York | 5 | (2021-Present) Currently with Washington WNBA Rookie of the Year |
| Charisma Osborne | 2024 – 25th by Phoenix | 2 | (2024-Present) Currently with Phoenix |
| Lauren Betts | 2026 – 4th by Washington | 0 | (2026-Present) Currently with Washington |
| Gabriela Jaquez | 2026 – 5th by Chicago | 0 | (2026-Present) Currently with Chicago |
| Kiki Rice | 2026 – 6th by Toronto | 0 | (2026-Present) Currently with Toronto |
| Angela Dugalić | 2026 – 9th by Washington | 0 | (2026-Present) Currently with Washington |
| Gianna Kneepkens | 2026 – 15th by Connecticut | 0 | (2026-Present) Currently with Connecticut |
| Charlisse Leger-Walker | 2026 – 18th by Connecticut | 0 | (2026-Present) Currently with Connecticut |
Undrafted
| Player | Seasons | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Sandra Van Embricqs | 1 | (1998) Last with Los Angeles |
| Michelle Greco | 1 | (2004) Last with Seattle WNBA Champion |
Other Players
- Denise Curry[43]
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee
- Ann Meyers, Phoenix Mercury Vice President[44]
- Natalie Nakase, Golden State Valkyries Head Coach[45]
- Teiko Nishi
- Anita Ortega
Retired numbers
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure | No. Ret. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | Denise Curry | C | 1977–81 | 1990 | [46] |
15 | Ann Meyers | SG | 1974–78 | 1990 | [46] |
Year by year results
Conference tournament winners noted with # Source[47][2]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | Coaches' poll | AP poll | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Washington (Independent, SCWIAC) (1974–1975) | |||||||||
| 1974–75 | Kenny Washington | 18–4 | 9–1 | 1st (SCWIAC) | NWIT Second Place | ||||
| Kenny Washington: | 18–4 | 9–1 | |||||||
| Ellen Mosher (Independent, SCWIAC) (1975–1977) | |||||||||
| 1975–76 | Ellen Mosher | 19–4 | 12–1 | 1st | AIAW West Regional, NWIT Second Place | ||||
| 1976–77 | Ellen Mosher | 20–3 | 7–1 | 1st | AIAW West Regional, NWIT Second Place | 13 | |||
| Ellen Mosher: | 39–7 | 19–2 | |||||||
| Billie Moore (Independent, WCAA, Pac-12) (1977–1993) | |||||||||
| 1977-78 | Billie Moore | 27–3 | 8–0 | 1st (WCAA) | AIAW Champions | 5 | |||
| 1978–79 | Billie Moore | 24–10 | 7–1 | 1st | AIAW Third Place | 6 | |||
| 1979–80 | Billie Moore | 18–12 | 9–3 | 2nd | AIAW West Regional | ||||
| 1980–81 | Billie Moore | 29–7 | 9–3 | 2nd | AIAW Quarterfinals | 7 | |||
| 1981–82 | Billie Moore | 16–14 | 7–5 | 4th | |||||
| 1982–83 | Billie Moore | 18–11 | 9–5 | 3rd | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1983–84 | Billie Moore | 17–12 | 6–8 | 5th | |||||
| 1984–85 | Billie Moore | 20–10 | 10–4 | 2nd | NCAA Sixteen | 18 | |||
| 1985–86 | Billie Moore | 12–16 | 3–5 | 4th | |||||
| Pac-12 Conference | |||||||||
| 1986–87 | Billie Moore | 18–10 | 11–7 | 4th (Pac-12) | |||||
| 1987–88 | Billie Moore | 19–11 | 12–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1988–89 | Billie Moore | 12–16 | 8–10 | 4th | |||||
| 1989–90 | Billie Moore | 17–12 | 12–6 | 3rd | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1990–91 | Billie Moore | 15–13 | 10–8 | T-4th | |||||
| 1991–92 | Billie Moore | 21–10 | 12–6 | T-3rd | NCAA Sixteen | 18 | |||
| 1992–93 | Billie Moore | 13–14 | 8–10 | 7th | |||||
| Billie Moore: | 296–181 | 141–87 | |||||||
| Kathy Olivier (Pac-12) (1993–2008) | |||||||||
| 1993–94 | Kathy Olivier | 15–12 | 10–8 | 5th | |||||
| 1994–95 | Kathy Olivier | 10–17 | 5–13 | T-8th | |||||
| 1995–96 | Kathy Olivier | 13–14 | 8–10 | T-6th | |||||
| 1996–97 | Kathy Olivier | 13–14 | 7–11 | 6th | |||||
| 1997–98 | Kathy Olivier | 20–9 | 14–4 | T-2nd | NCAA Second Round | 20 | 25 | ||
| 1998–99 | Kathy Olivier | 26–8 | 15–3 | T-1st | NCAA Quarterfinals | 15 | 15 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Kathy Olivier | 18–11 | 12–6 | 4th | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2000–01 | Kathy Olivier | 6–23 | 5–13 | 10th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Kathy Olivier | 9–20 | 4–14 | 8th | |||||
| 2002–03 | Kathy Olivier | 18–11 | 12–6 | 4th | |||||
| 2003–04 | Kathy Olivier | 17–13 | 11–7 | T-3rd | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2004–05 | Kathy Olivier | 16–12 | 10–8 | 6th | |||||
| 2005–06 | Kathy Olivier | 21–11 | 12–6 | 3rd# | NCAA Second Round | 18 | 21 | ||
| 2006–07 | Kathy Olivier | 14–18 | 7–11 | 7th | |||||
| 2007–08 | Kathy Olivier | 16–15 | 10–8 | T-4th | |||||
| Kathy Olivier: | 232–208 | 142–128 | |||||||
| Nikki Fargas (Pac-12) (2008–2011) | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Nikki Fargas | 19–12 | 9–9 | T-4th | |||||
| 2009–10 | Nikki Fargas | 25–9 | 15–3 | 2nd | NCAA Second Round | 23 | 22 | ||
| 2010–11 | Nikki Fargas | 28–5 | 16–2 | 2nd | NCAA Second Round | 13 | 7 | ||
| Nikki Fargas: | 72–26 | 40–14 | |||||||
| Cori Close (Pac-12) (2011–2024) | |||||||||
| 2011–12 | Cori Close | 14–16 | 9–9 | T-5th | |||||
| 2012–13 | Cori Close | 26–8 | 14–4 | 3rd | NCAA Second Round | 12 | 11 | ||
| 2013–14 | Cori Close | 13–18 | 7–11 | 8th | |||||
| 2014–15 | Cori Close | 19–18 | 8–10 | 6th | WNIT champions | ||||
| 2015–16 | Cori Close | 26–9 | 14–4 | T-3rd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 10 | 13 | ||
| 2016–17 | Cori Close | 25–9 | 13–5 | 4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 15 | 13 | ||
| 2017–18 | Cori Close | 27–8 | 14–4 | T-3rd | NCAA Elite Eight | 9 | 9 | ||
| 2018–19 | Cori Close | 22–13 | 12–6 | 4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 20 | 14 | ||
| 2019–20 | Cori Close | 26–5 | 14–4 | T-2nd | Tournament cancelled | 10 | 9 | ||
| 2020–21 | Cori Close | 17–6 | 12–4 | 3rd | NCAA Second Round | 9 | 12 | ||
| 2021–22 | Cori Close | 18–13 | 8–8 | 7th | WNIT semifinals | ||||
| 2022–23 | Cori Close | 27–10 | 11–7 | T-4th | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 14 | 13 | ||
| 2023–24 | Cori Close | 27–7 | 13–5 | T-2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 6 | 6 | ||
| Cori Close (Big Ten) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | Cori Close | 34–3 | 16–2 | 2nd | NCAA Final Four | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | Cori Close | 37–1 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | 1 | 1 | ||
| Cori Close: | 358–144 | Pac-12: 149–81 Big Ten: 71–4 | |||||||
| Total: | 1020–570 | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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Postseason results
NCAA Division I
UCLA has reached the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament 21 times. They have a record of 33–20.[2]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | #6 | First Round | #3 Oregon State | L 62–75 |
| 1985 | #6 | First Round Sweet Sixteen | #3 Washington #2 Georgia | W 78–62 L 42–78 |
| 1990 | #10 | First Round | #7 Arkansas | L 80–90 (OT) |
| 1992 | #5 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #12 Notre Dame #4 Texas #8 SW Missouri State | W 93–72 W 82–81 L 57–83 |
| 1998 | #7 | First Round Second Round | #10 Michigan #2 Alabama | W 65–58 L 74–75 |
| 1999 | #3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #14 UW–Green Bay #6 Kentucky #2 Colorado State #1 Louisiana Tech | W 76–69 W 87–63 W 77–68 L 62–88 |
| 2000 | #10 | First Round | #7 George Washington | L 72–79 |
| 2004 | #10 | First Round | #7 Minnesota | L 81–92 |
| 2006 | #5 | First Round Second Round | #12 Bowling Green #4 Purdue | W 74–61 L 54–61 |
| 2010 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 NC State #1 Nebraska | W 74–54 L 70–83 |
| 2011 | #3 | First Round Second Round | #14 Montana #11 Gonzaga | W 55–47 L 75–89 |
| 2013 | #3 | First Round Second Round | #14 Stetson #6 Oklahoma | W 66–49 L 72–85 |
| 2016 | #3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #14 Hawaii #6 South Florida #2 Texas | W 66–50 W 72–67 L 64–72 |
| 2017 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #13 Boise State #5 Texas A&M #1 Connecticut | W 83–56 W 75–43 L 71–86 |
| 2018 | #3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #14 American #11 Creighton #2 Texas #1 Mississippi State | W 71–60 W 86–64 W 84–75 L 73–89 |
| 2019 | #6 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #11 Tennessee #3 Maryland #2 Connecticut | W 89–77 W 85–80 L 61–69 |
| 2021 | #3 | First Round Second Round | #14 Wyoming #6 Texas | W 69–48 L 62–71 |
| 2023 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #13 Sacramento State #5 Oklahoma #1 South Carolina | W 67–45 W 82–73 L 43-59 |
| 2024 | #2 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #15 California Baptist #7 Creighton #3 LSU | W 84–55 W 67–63 L 69-78 |
| 2025 | #1 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #16 Southern #8 Richmond #5 Ole Miss #3 LSU #2 UConn | W 84–46 W 84–67 W 76–62 W 72–65 L 51–85 |
| 2026 | #1 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | #16 California Baptist #8 Oklahoma State #4 Minnesota #3 Duke #1 Texas #1 South Carolina | W 96–43 W 87–68 W 80–56 W 70–58 W 51–44 W 79–51 |
AIAW Division I
The Bruins made three appearances in sectionals and finals of the AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 8–3.[2]
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
BYU Stephen F. Austin Montclair State Maryland |
W 96–75 W 69–51 W 87–82 W 75–65 |
| 1979 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place |
Oregon State Wayland Baptist Old Dominion Tennessee |
W 105–70 W 92–73 L 82–87 L 86–104 |
| 1981 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Oregon State Kansas Louisiana Tech |
W 72–65 W 73–71 L 54–87 |
The Bruins have also appeared in the Western Regionals of the AIAW playoffs in 1976, 1977, and 1980.[2]
Player and coach awards
- Lauren Betts – 2025
National coach awards
- Cori Close – 2025
- Cori Close – 2025
- WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year
- Tony Newnan – 2025
