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Four months removed from winning the program's first-ever Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) title, the UCLA Bruins have continued to have success on the hardwood.
Returning UCLA players won more gold medals this summer for their respective countries than any other collegiate institution's active players did in the United States. The Bruins won a total of three gold medals. Connecticut (Kia Nurse for Canada at the Pan Am Games and FIBA Americas) and Tennessee (Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell at the World University Games) both had active collegiate players that won a total of two gold medals this summer.
Senior guard Nirra Fields won gold in her native country of Canada twice, including defeating the USA at the Pan American Games in Toronto on July 20 and then defeating Cuba to win gold in Edmonton at the FIBA Americas Championship on August 16.
Sophomore guard Jordin Canada got the gold medal streak going for UCLA, starting every game at the point for Team USA at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea on July 13.
Sophomore forward Paulina Hersler also made her national team of Sweden that placed 10th at the World University Games while another sophomore forward, Monique Billings was chosen by Athletes in Action to travel to Poland (June 17-26) to compete against the women's national teams of France, Poland and Latvia.
Additionally, Fields is one of only three active collegiate players in the U.S. to be part of a national team that won gold at a 2016 Olympic qualifying tournament. Canada qualified for the Olympics in Rio, Brazil with the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship. UConn's Nurse was also on the team with Fields. The Huskies' Breanna Stewart was on the Team USA squad that won the 2014 FIBA World Championships last summer as the Americans earned a berth to the Olympics.
The UCLA women's basketball team enters the 2015-16 season with another top 10 recruiting class arriving in Westwood. The reigning WNIT champions have added Kennedy Burke (Northridge, Calif./Sierra Canyon HS) and Ashley Hearn (Rowlett, Texas/Sachse HS).
The Bruins will have two three-point shooting contest winners on the roster next year as Burke won the 2015 high school three-point shooting contest, a competition won by junior guard Kari Korver in 2012. UCLA's roster will also feature a school-record-tying four McDonald's All-Americans as incoming freshman forward Hearn will join Canada and sophomore forward Lajahna Drummer and Fields.
The Bruins return four starters from a year ago, including Fields (15.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.3 spg), an All-Pac-12 honoree. Korver (10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 apg), a second team Pac-12 All-Academic selection, was one of only three Bruins to play in all 37 games and made the most starts at 36 games. Canada, the reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and WNIT MVP (11.8 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 spg) made 30 starts as a true freshman. Senior forward Kacy Swain (4.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .755 FT%) returns for her final year after making 25 starts a year ago.
After an exhibition game with Vanguard on Nov. 1, the Bruins will open the season with three straight postseason teams at home, starting with St. John's on Nov. 13.
Women's basketball season tickets are on sale now at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (310-UCLA-WIN). For more ticket information, or to buy tickets now, click here.