Saturday, March 23
College Park, MD
10:00 AM
UCLA
vs
Tennessee
UCLA has never faced Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 6 UCLA Ready for No. 11 Tennessee in NCAA First Round
March 20, 2019 | Women's Basketball
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LOS ANGELES – Sixth-seeded UCLA will be playing 11th-seeded Tennessee for the first time since 2011 when the Bruins face the Lady Vols on Saturday in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (ET) at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Md., on the campus of the University of Maryland.
UCLA (20-12), who is making its fourth-straight NCAA appearance, has never played Tennessee (19-12) in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins' only postseason game against the Lady Vols came in the AIAW Final Four on March 24, 1979.
How to Follow
Saturday's game will air on ESPN2, with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (Analyst) on call. Fans can listen online (play-by-play: Dave Marcus), and live updates will be provided on Twitter by following @UCLAwbb.
Matchup: No. 6 UCLA (20-12, 12-6) vs. No. 11 Tennessee (19-12, 7-9)
March 23, 2019 | 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT | College Park, Md. (XFINITY Center)
Series History
This marks the 20th meeting all-time between UCLA and Tennessee, with the Lady Vols owning an 18-1 record. Tennessee has won each of the last 15 games; however, the two teams haven't faced one another since the 2011 campaign, when the Lady Vols came away with an 85-64 win at the John Wooden Center in Los Angeles. The Bruins played Tennessee in the '06, '07 and '09 seasons, dropping two of those three games in Knoxville. Prior to the matchup in 2006, the Bruins hadn't met the Lady Vols since 1999. UCLA and Tennessee have never faced one another in the NCAA Tournament. The only postseason meeting came in the 1979 AIAW Final Four, which Tennessee won, 104-86.
UCLA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
UCLA's Last Time Out
UCLA saw its run in the Pac-12 Tournament end in the semifinals with an 88-83 overtime setback to the Oregon Ducks, who later lost to Stanford in the championship and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins did, however, pick up another quality win the conference tourney, taking down Arizona State, 73-69, in the quarterfinals. The Sun Devils mustered a No. 5 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.
Both Kennedy Burke and Japreece Dean were named to the All-Tournament Team. Burke averaged 21 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 3.0 steals in the two games, while Dean posted 23 points and seven assists per game.
Trio Earns All-Pac-12 Recognition
Michaela Onyenwere, Kennedy Burke and Lindsey Corsaro were each recognized by the Pac-12 when the league unveiled all-conference awards on March 4. Onyenwere, who averaged 20.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in Pac-12 play, including 3.9 offensive boards per outing, was named to the All-Pac-12 team. Burke earned All-Defensive team honors and was named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, while Corsaro, a redshirt freshman out of Indianapolis, garnered All-Freshman team honors.
Working Hard Off the Court
The Bruin quartet of Chantel Horvat, Lindsey Corsaro, Lauryn Miller and Michaela Onyenwere were each recognized on the Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention team. To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and appear in at least 50 percent of their team's games (excluding injury).
She's Coming Back
On March 7, the UCLA women's basketball program announced that Japreece Dean would be granted one more year of eligibility. A native of Austin, Texas, Dean ranks third on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game and leads the team in assists per outing (4.9). She also leads the Pac-12 and ranks fifth nationally in free throw percentage, shooting 91.8 percent.
Close Named Media Pac-12 Coach of the Year
It turns out losing two first-round WNBA draft picks doesn't mean the end of the world. However, it does take a good coach to keep things rolling. Cori Close was recognized by the media as the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, as she led the Bruins to a fourth-place finish at 12-6 overall. The Bruins won 11 of their last 13 games in the regular season and collected four road wins over ranked opponents, the most since 1980-81. Close coached a team that had entirely different roles from a year ago and got the team to evolve by late January. After starting the year 3-5, UCLA has gone 17-7.
Reppin' the Pac-12 in the Polls
Ever since UCLA knocked off then-ranked No. 2 Oregon in Eugene on Feb. 22, the Bruins have earned a spot in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Poll. Since returning to the poll at No. 25, UCLA has risen to No. 20 overall. There are a total of five teams from the Pac-12 Conference ranked in the top 25. In the postseason USA TODAY poll, the Bruins rose to No. 24, its first ranking since week one on Nov. 12.
76-for-78
(See number above) – that's what Japreece Dean has done at the charity stripe in the last 26 games, and it's not a typo. The senior out of Austin, Texas, who holds the Bruins' school record for consecutive free throw makes (40 – just four shy of tying the Pac-12 record), has made 97.4 percent of her free throws since UCLA's Nov. 24 game against USF. This hot streak has been highlighted by a 12-for-12 effort vs. Fresno and 10-for-10 mark at Utah. She is fighting to top Anne Dean's single-season UCLA record of 91.9 percent (68-for-74) set in 1984-85.
500 & Counting
Michaela Onyenwere is having a breakout year and has scored 20 or more 15 times this season, including eight 25-plus point games. On March 1 against Utah, she reached 500 points on the year, making her the seventh sophomore in program history to achieve the feat. In addition to 12 double-doubles, Onyenwere has scored in double figures in 20 straight games. She has matched a career-high 29 points three times. In Pac-12 play, She made 18 3-pointers this season, all of which came during the conference season (only had one last year).
The Race to 900
This season, Lajahna Drummer became the 10th player in program history with 800 career rebounds, and she currently sits 52 boards away from 900, which would make her the eighth Bruin to do so. With an 11-rebound performance at then-ranked No. 12 Oregon State, Drummer moved to No. 8 all-time for career rebounds, passing legend Ann Meyers (819; 1975-78).
Comeback Kids
UCLA's 22-point comeback against No. 2 Oregon was the largest under Cori Close and the biggest win for UCLA since the Bruins knocked off then-ranked No. 2 Stanford, 69-56, on Jan. 4, 2008. UCLA collected its eighth win over a top-10 AP team under Cori Close (8-32).
Road Warriors
UCLA earned four road wins over ranked opponents this season, the most in a single season since 1980-81, when the Bruins were awarded five wins (fifth thanks to a forfeit by South Carolina on Jan. 5, 1981). UCLA finished its road slate at 8-3 overall and 7-2 in Pac-12 play.
UCLA Team Snippets
* Four of UCLA's six wins over ranked opponents this season came on the road (California, Arizona State, Utah, Oregon), the second-most road wins over ranked opponents in program history.
* UCLA has outrebounded its opponent in all but seven games this season. The Bruins haul in 41.4 rebounds per game, good for second in the Pac-12 and 33rd nationally.
* The Bruins are fifth in the Pac-12 and 38th nationally in rebound margin (6.2).
* UCLA forces 15.4 turnovers per game, ranking fourth in the Pac-12.
* The Bruins are 14-1 when tied or leading at the half.
* UCLA ranks second in the Pac-12 in free throw attempts (607).
UCLA Player Snippets * One of 15 members of the All-Pac-12 women's basketball team.
* Ranks second in the Pac-12 and 22nd nationally in offensive rebounds per game (3.9).
* Averaged 20.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in Pac-12 play. She was one of four players in the conference to average at least 20 points in Pac-12 action during the regular season.
* Has tallied 20 or more points in eight of the last 13 games.
* Has scored in double figures in 20 straight games.
* Has 15 20-plus point games on the year, including eight 25-plus point games.
* All-Pac-12 Defensive Team; All-12-Pac Honorable Mention.
* 22nd player in program history with 500 career field goals (560-for-1,230).
* One of four players in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks.
* No. 18 on UCLA's all-time scoring list (1,461).
* No. 6 all-time in career games played (135).
* Recently passed Jordin Canada and Michelle Greco to No. 9 all-time in career 3-pointers made (102).
* Shoots 49.6 percent from the field, ranking sixth in the conference and 66th nationally.
* 10th player in program history with 800 career rebounds.
* Ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in rebounds per game with 8.6 per outing. She had a career-high 17 at Arizona on Jan. 27.
* Ranks 8th all-time in program history in career rebounds (848).
* Scored a career-high 28 points vs. California on Feb. 17.
* Saw her school-record free throw streak end at 40 in a row on Feb. 8 at Colorado, a streak that began on Nov. 24 vs. South Florida.
* Leads the Pac-12 in free throw percentage and is on pace to set UCLA's single season record, shooting 91.8 percent (90-for-98).
* Averaging 4.9 assists per game, ranking sixth in the Pac-12 and 50th nationally.
* All-Pac-12 Freshman team.
* Has matched her career high of 15 points, twice.
Up Next
If UCLA wins, it will play the winner of No. 3 Maryland/No. 14 Radford in the Second Round on March 25.
LOS ANGELES – Sixth-seeded UCLA will be playing 11th-seeded Tennessee for the first time since 2011 when the Bruins face the Lady Vols on Saturday in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (ET) at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Md., on the campus of the University of Maryland.
UCLA (20-12), who is making its fourth-straight NCAA appearance, has never played Tennessee (19-12) in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins' only postseason game against the Lady Vols came in the AIAW Final Four on March 24, 1979.
How to Follow
Saturday's game will air on ESPN2, with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (Analyst) on call. Fans can listen online (play-by-play: Dave Marcus), and live updates will be provided on Twitter by following @UCLAwbb.
Matchup: No. 6 UCLA (20-12, 12-6) vs. No. 11 Tennessee (19-12, 7-9)
March 23, 2019 | 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT | College Park, Md. (XFINITY Center)
Series History
This marks the 20th meeting all-time between UCLA and Tennessee, with the Lady Vols owning an 18-1 record. Tennessee has won each of the last 15 games; however, the two teams haven't faced one another since the 2011 campaign, when the Lady Vols came away with an 85-64 win at the John Wooden Center in Los Angeles. The Bruins played Tennessee in the '06, '07 and '09 seasons, dropping two of those three games in Knoxville. Prior to the matchup in 2006, the Bruins hadn't met the Lady Vols since 1999. UCLA and Tennessee have never faced one another in the NCAA Tournament. The only postseason meeting came in the 1979 AIAW Final Four, which Tennessee won, 104-86.
UCLA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
- UCLA is 18-15 (.545) all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- This is the Bruins' 16th NCAA Tournament appearance (23rd postseason appearance including AIAW Tournaments).
- UCLA has won its last seven First Round games of the NCAA Tournament and its last three Second Round games.
- UCLA won its only national title in 1978 (AIAW) with a 90-74 win over Maryland at UCLA.
- The Bruins have reached the Sweet Sixteen each of the last three seasons.
- UCLA made it to the Elite Eight in 2018 for the first time since 1999, its second appearance all-time.
- In 2017, the Bruins made back-to-back appearances in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history (selected to field of 16 of the AIAW Division I Tournament in 1978 and 1979).
- The Bruins' best finish in the NCAA Tournament is the Elite Eight (1999, 2018).
- UCLA is 8-4 (.667) all-time in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Cori Close.
- This season marks Cori Close's fifth appearance in the Big Dance (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
UCLA's Last Time Out
UCLA saw its run in the Pac-12 Tournament end in the semifinals with an 88-83 overtime setback to the Oregon Ducks, who later lost to Stanford in the championship and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins did, however, pick up another quality win the conference tourney, taking down Arizona State, 73-69, in the quarterfinals. The Sun Devils mustered a No. 5 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.
Both Kennedy Burke and Japreece Dean were named to the All-Tournament Team. Burke averaged 21 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 3.0 steals in the two games, while Dean posted 23 points and seven assists per game.
Trio Earns All-Pac-12 Recognition
Michaela Onyenwere, Kennedy Burke and Lindsey Corsaro were each recognized by the Pac-12 when the league unveiled all-conference awards on March 4. Onyenwere, who averaged 20.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in Pac-12 play, including 3.9 offensive boards per outing, was named to the All-Pac-12 team. Burke earned All-Defensive team honors and was named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, while Corsaro, a redshirt freshman out of Indianapolis, garnered All-Freshman team honors.
Working Hard Off the Court
The Bruin quartet of Chantel Horvat, Lindsey Corsaro, Lauryn Miller and Michaela Onyenwere were each recognized on the Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention team. To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and appear in at least 50 percent of their team's games (excluding injury).
She's Coming Back
On March 7, the UCLA women's basketball program announced that Japreece Dean would be granted one more year of eligibility. A native of Austin, Texas, Dean ranks third on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game and leads the team in assists per outing (4.9). She also leads the Pac-12 and ranks fifth nationally in free throw percentage, shooting 91.8 percent.
Close Named Media Pac-12 Coach of the Year
It turns out losing two first-round WNBA draft picks doesn't mean the end of the world. However, it does take a good coach to keep things rolling. Cori Close was recognized by the media as the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, as she led the Bruins to a fourth-place finish at 12-6 overall. The Bruins won 11 of their last 13 games in the regular season and collected four road wins over ranked opponents, the most since 1980-81. Close coached a team that had entirely different roles from a year ago and got the team to evolve by late January. After starting the year 3-5, UCLA has gone 17-7.
Reppin' the Pac-12 in the Polls
Ever since UCLA knocked off then-ranked No. 2 Oregon in Eugene on Feb. 22, the Bruins have earned a spot in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Poll. Since returning to the poll at No. 25, UCLA has risen to No. 20 overall. There are a total of five teams from the Pac-12 Conference ranked in the top 25. In the postseason USA TODAY poll, the Bruins rose to No. 24, its first ranking since week one on Nov. 12.
76-for-78
(See number above) – that's what Japreece Dean has done at the charity stripe in the last 26 games, and it's not a typo. The senior out of Austin, Texas, who holds the Bruins' school record for consecutive free throw makes (40 – just four shy of tying the Pac-12 record), has made 97.4 percent of her free throws since UCLA's Nov. 24 game against USF. This hot streak has been highlighted by a 12-for-12 effort vs. Fresno and 10-for-10 mark at Utah. She is fighting to top Anne Dean's single-season UCLA record of 91.9 percent (68-for-74) set in 1984-85.
500 & Counting
Michaela Onyenwere is having a breakout year and has scored 20 or more 15 times this season, including eight 25-plus point games. On March 1 against Utah, she reached 500 points on the year, making her the seventh sophomore in program history to achieve the feat. In addition to 12 double-doubles, Onyenwere has scored in double figures in 20 straight games. She has matched a career-high 29 points three times. In Pac-12 play, She made 18 3-pointers this season, all of which came during the conference season (only had one last year).
The Race to 900
This season, Lajahna Drummer became the 10th player in program history with 800 career rebounds, and she currently sits 52 boards away from 900, which would make her the eighth Bruin to do so. With an 11-rebound performance at then-ranked No. 12 Oregon State, Drummer moved to No. 8 all-time for career rebounds, passing legend Ann Meyers (819; 1975-78).
Comeback Kids
UCLA's 22-point comeback against No. 2 Oregon was the largest under Cori Close and the biggest win for UCLA since the Bruins knocked off then-ranked No. 2 Stanford, 69-56, on Jan. 4, 2008. UCLA collected its eighth win over a top-10 AP team under Cori Close (8-32).
Road Warriors
UCLA earned four road wins over ranked opponents this season, the most in a single season since 1980-81, when the Bruins were awarded five wins (fifth thanks to a forfeit by South Carolina on Jan. 5, 1981). UCLA finished its road slate at 8-3 overall and 7-2 in Pac-12 play.
UCLA Team Snippets
- Road warriors
* Four of UCLA's six wins over ranked opponents this season came on the road (California, Arizona State, Utah, Oregon), the second-most road wins over ranked opponents in program history.
- Dominance on glass
* UCLA has outrebounded its opponent in all but seven games this season. The Bruins haul in 41.4 rebounds per game, good for second in the Pac-12 and 33rd nationally.
* The Bruins are fifth in the Pac-12 and 38th nationally in rebound margin (6.2).
- Tough on 'D'
* UCLA forces 15.4 turnovers per game, ranking fourth in the Pac-12.
- Keeping leads
* The Bruins are 14-1 when tied or leading at the half.
- Extra opportunities
* UCLA ranks second in the Pac-12 in free throw attempts (607).
UCLA Player Snippets * One of 15 members of the All-Pac-12 women's basketball team.
* Ranks second in the Pac-12 and 22nd nationally in offensive rebounds per game (3.9).
* Averaged 20.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in Pac-12 play. She was one of four players in the conference to average at least 20 points in Pac-12 action during the regular season.
* Has tallied 20 or more points in eight of the last 13 games.
* Has scored in double figures in 20 straight games.
* Has 15 20-plus point games on the year, including eight 25-plus point games.
* All-Pac-12 Defensive Team; All-12-Pac Honorable Mention.
* 22nd player in program history with 500 career field goals (560-for-1,230).
* One of four players in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks.
* No. 18 on UCLA's all-time scoring list (1,461).
* No. 6 all-time in career games played (135).
* Recently passed Jordin Canada and Michelle Greco to No. 9 all-time in career 3-pointers made (102).
* Shoots 49.6 percent from the field, ranking sixth in the conference and 66th nationally.
* 10th player in program history with 800 career rebounds.
* Ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in rebounds per game with 8.6 per outing. She had a career-high 17 at Arizona on Jan. 27.
* Ranks 8th all-time in program history in career rebounds (848).
* Scored a career-high 28 points vs. California on Feb. 17.
* Saw her school-record free throw streak end at 40 in a row on Feb. 8 at Colorado, a streak that began on Nov. 24 vs. South Florida.
* Leads the Pac-12 in free throw percentage and is on pace to set UCLA's single season record, shooting 91.8 percent (90-for-98).
* Averaging 4.9 assists per game, ranking sixth in the Pac-12 and 50th nationally.
* All-Pac-12 Freshman team.
* Has matched her career high of 15 points, twice.
Up Next
If UCLA wins, it will play the winner of No. 3 Maryland/No. 14 Radford in the Second Round on March 25.
Players Mentioned
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