Natalie Chou scored a season-high 18 points in UCLA's win over Cal on Saturday (photo by Caren Nicdao).
No. 11 UCLA Squares Off Against No. 1 Stanford
December 20, 2020 | Women's Basketball
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GAME INFORMATION
No. 11 UCLA (5-1, 3-1) vs. No. 1 Stanford (6-0, 3-0)
Date: Monday, Dec. 21
Time: 12:00 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
Watch: Pac-12 Network (Anne Marie Anderson, Tammy Blackburn)
Listen: ucla.leanplayer.com (Play-By-Play: Nick Koop)
No. 11 UCLA SQUARES OFF AGAINST TOP-RANKED STANFORD
UCLA finishes up its first Conference homestand of the season with a matchup against No. 1 Stanford on Monday, Dec. 21 at 12:00 p.m. PT. Pac-12 Network is set to broadcast the live action with Nick Koop's radio call accessible at ucla.leanplayer.com. The Bruins and Cardinal split their season series in 2019-20, with UCLA taking the first matchup at Maples Pavilion (Feb. 7) and Stanford notching a victory in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament (Mar. 7). Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer is fresh off becoming the all-time winningest head coach in women's collegiate basketball, earning her 1,099th-career win in the Cardinal's victory over Pacific (Dec. 15).
LAST TIME OUT: UCLA 71, CAL 37
Natalie Chou and Michaela Onyenwere matched each other with a game-high 18 points, while Emily Bessoir poured in 13 off the bench, as the 11th-ranked Bruins produced 20 steals en route to a 71-37 victory over California on Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Chou, who posted a season high in scoring and was a point shy of matching a career high, tied a personal best with four three-pointers and equaled a season best with four steals. Bessoir recorded six rebounds, with Lauryn Miller adding seven points, five boards and four assists, as both tied a career high with four steals. Lindsey Corsaro had seven points and three steals and Charisma Osborne tallied six points, seven rebounds, six assists (tied career high) and three steals.
NOTES ON THE BRUINS
Individual Notes
• Michaela Onyenwere has scored 1,548 points in her UCLA career and is currently 17th on the program's all-time scoring list. Lindsey Pluimer ('08) is 16th with 1,556 points. Atonye Nyingifa ('14) is 15th with 1,570 points.
• Head Coach Cori Close earned her 200th-career victory with the Bruins' victory over ASU (Dec. 6).
• Charisma Osborne has made her first 18 free throws to start the season. Japreece Dean ('20) holds the program record with 40-consecutive free throws made across the 2018-19 season.
• Michaela Onyenwere has scored in double figures in each of UCLA's first six games.
• In just six career games, Emily Bessoir has already notched four steals in two different games (vs. UCSB, Dec. 9; vs. California, Dec. 19)
Team Notes
• The Bruins have three players scoring in double figures: Charisma Osborne (17.0 ppg), Michaela Onyenwere (16.5), and Natalie Chou (11.0).
• UCLA is sixth in the country and leads the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds per game (19.0)
• UCLA is the only team with multiple players (Osborne - 17.0, Onyenwere - 16.5) among the Pac-12's top 5 scorers.
• UCLA recorded a season-high 20 steals as a team against the Golden Bears, with five Bruins recording at least three steals apiece: Miller -- 4, Bessoir -- 4, Chou -- 4, Corsaro -- 3, Osborne -- 3
• The Bruins have recorded assists on 43 of the team's last 56 baskets (.769) over the last two games.
• The Bruins scored 102 points against UCSB (Dec. 9), the most since the team scored 129 against San Jose State on Nov. 10, 2017.
MILESTONES ACHIEVED
Michaela Onyenwere recorded 17 points in the Bruins' blowout victory over UCSB (Dec. 9), a performance that took her over the 1,500-career-point milestone at UCLA. She is currently 17th on UCLA's all-time scoring list. With UCLA's win at Arizona State (Dec. 6), Cori Close won her 200th-career game with the Bruins. She is only the third coach in program history to achieve the milestone (Billie Moore - 296; Kathy Olivier - 232).
2019-20 IN REVIEW
UCLA is coming off a 26-5 season in 2019-20, the fifth-straight 20-win season under Coach Close. The Bruins finished 14-4 in Pac-12 play, good for second place in the regular season standings. UCLA advanced to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament and was on track to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, but subsequent postseason play was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the conclusion of the season, Michaela Onyenwere earned AP Third-Team All-America accolades. Onyenwere and then-senior Japreece Dean earned All-Pac-12 honors.
2020-21 ROSTER AT A GLANCE
The Bruins return four players who started at least 20 games last year: Michaela Onyenwere, Charisma Osborne, Lauryn Miller, and Lindsey Corsaro. Onyenwere was the team's leading scorer with 18.9 points per game last year, while Osborne returns after a freshman campaign that saw her put up 12.2 points per game, the third-most on the team. Miller started 30 games as a true junior and put up a career-high 6.6 points per game. Corsaro logged 23.5 minutes per contest in 2019-20 and can serve as a primary ball-handler for the Bruins in the upcoming season. UCLA also returns redshirt senior Natalie Chou, who put up 7.4 points per contest in her first active season with the team last season. The Bruins' key departure from last year is point guard Japreece Dean, who earned All-Pac-12 honors last season. Dean was drafted by the Chicago Sky and is now playing overseas.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
UCLA freshman Emily Bessoir has already made a huge impact in her brief time with the program thus far. At 6'4", she is the tallest player on the Bruins' active roster and has a commanding presence in the post. That said, she has strong ball-handling skills and can lead a fastbreak for the Bruins off a rebound. Bessoir was named to ESPN's Newcomer Impact Rankings for the upcoming season. The Munich, Germany, native is averaging 9.0 points and 5.7 rebounds through her first six games.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Senior forward Michaela Onyenwere and sophomore guard Charisma Osborne have been named to several preseason watch lists for various national awards. Both players were also named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team.
• Onyenwere: Preseason AP All-American, Preseason All-Pac-12, Naismith Trophy Watch List (collegiate player of the year), Wooden Award Watch List (most outstanding player), Cheryl Miller Award Watch List (nation's best small forward)
• Osborne: Preseason All-Pac-12, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List (nation's best shooting guard)
GAME INFORMATION
No. 11 UCLA (5-1, 3-1) vs. No. 1 Stanford (6-0, 3-0)
Date: Monday, Dec. 21
Time: 12:00 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
Watch: Pac-12 Network (Anne Marie Anderson, Tammy Blackburn)
Listen: ucla.leanplayer.com (Play-By-Play: Nick Koop)
No. 11 UCLA SQUARES OFF AGAINST TOP-RANKED STANFORD
UCLA finishes up its first Conference homestand of the season with a matchup against No. 1 Stanford on Monday, Dec. 21 at 12:00 p.m. PT. Pac-12 Network is set to broadcast the live action with Nick Koop's radio call accessible at ucla.leanplayer.com. The Bruins and Cardinal split their season series in 2019-20, with UCLA taking the first matchup at Maples Pavilion (Feb. 7) and Stanford notching a victory in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament (Mar. 7). Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer is fresh off becoming the all-time winningest head coach in women's collegiate basketball, earning her 1,099th-career win in the Cardinal's victory over Pacific (Dec. 15).
LAST TIME OUT: UCLA 71, CAL 37
Natalie Chou and Michaela Onyenwere matched each other with a game-high 18 points, while Emily Bessoir poured in 13 off the bench, as the 11th-ranked Bruins produced 20 steals en route to a 71-37 victory over California on Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Chou, who posted a season high in scoring and was a point shy of matching a career high, tied a personal best with four three-pointers and equaled a season best with four steals. Bessoir recorded six rebounds, with Lauryn Miller adding seven points, five boards and four assists, as both tied a career high with four steals. Lindsey Corsaro had seven points and three steals and Charisma Osborne tallied six points, seven rebounds, six assists (tied career high) and three steals.
NOTES ON THE BRUINS
Individual Notes
• Michaela Onyenwere has scored 1,548 points in her UCLA career and is currently 17th on the program's all-time scoring list. Lindsey Pluimer ('08) is 16th with 1,556 points. Atonye Nyingifa ('14) is 15th with 1,570 points.
• Head Coach Cori Close earned her 200th-career victory with the Bruins' victory over ASU (Dec. 6).
• Charisma Osborne has made her first 18 free throws to start the season. Japreece Dean ('20) holds the program record with 40-consecutive free throws made across the 2018-19 season.
• Michaela Onyenwere has scored in double figures in each of UCLA's first six games.
• In just six career games, Emily Bessoir has already notched four steals in two different games (vs. UCSB, Dec. 9; vs. California, Dec. 19)
Team Notes
• The Bruins have three players scoring in double figures: Charisma Osborne (17.0 ppg), Michaela Onyenwere (16.5), and Natalie Chou (11.0).
• UCLA is sixth in the country and leads the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds per game (19.0)
• UCLA is the only team with multiple players (Osborne - 17.0, Onyenwere - 16.5) among the Pac-12's top 5 scorers.
• UCLA recorded a season-high 20 steals as a team against the Golden Bears, with five Bruins recording at least three steals apiece: Miller -- 4, Bessoir -- 4, Chou -- 4, Corsaro -- 3, Osborne -- 3
• The Bruins have recorded assists on 43 of the team's last 56 baskets (.769) over the last two games.
• The Bruins scored 102 points against UCSB (Dec. 9), the most since the team scored 129 against San Jose State on Nov. 10, 2017.
MILESTONES ACHIEVED
Michaela Onyenwere recorded 17 points in the Bruins' blowout victory over UCSB (Dec. 9), a performance that took her over the 1,500-career-point milestone at UCLA. She is currently 17th on UCLA's all-time scoring list. With UCLA's win at Arizona State (Dec. 6), Cori Close won her 200th-career game with the Bruins. She is only the third coach in program history to achieve the milestone (Billie Moore - 296; Kathy Olivier - 232).
2019-20 IN REVIEW
UCLA is coming off a 26-5 season in 2019-20, the fifth-straight 20-win season under Coach Close. The Bruins finished 14-4 in Pac-12 play, good for second place in the regular season standings. UCLA advanced to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament and was on track to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, but subsequent postseason play was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the conclusion of the season, Michaela Onyenwere earned AP Third-Team All-America accolades. Onyenwere and then-senior Japreece Dean earned All-Pac-12 honors.
2020-21 ROSTER AT A GLANCE
The Bruins return four players who started at least 20 games last year: Michaela Onyenwere, Charisma Osborne, Lauryn Miller, and Lindsey Corsaro. Onyenwere was the team's leading scorer with 18.9 points per game last year, while Osborne returns after a freshman campaign that saw her put up 12.2 points per game, the third-most on the team. Miller started 30 games as a true junior and put up a career-high 6.6 points per game. Corsaro logged 23.5 minutes per contest in 2019-20 and can serve as a primary ball-handler for the Bruins in the upcoming season. UCLA also returns redshirt senior Natalie Chou, who put up 7.4 points per contest in her first active season with the team last season. The Bruins' key departure from last year is point guard Japreece Dean, who earned All-Pac-12 honors last season. Dean was drafted by the Chicago Sky and is now playing overseas.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
UCLA freshman Emily Bessoir has already made a huge impact in her brief time with the program thus far. At 6'4", she is the tallest player on the Bruins' active roster and has a commanding presence in the post. That said, she has strong ball-handling skills and can lead a fastbreak for the Bruins off a rebound. Bessoir was named to ESPN's Newcomer Impact Rankings for the upcoming season. The Munich, Germany, native is averaging 9.0 points and 5.7 rebounds through her first six games.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Senior forward Michaela Onyenwere and sophomore guard Charisma Osborne have been named to several preseason watch lists for various national awards. Both players were also named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team.
• Onyenwere: Preseason AP All-American, Preseason All-Pac-12, Naismith Trophy Watch List (collegiate player of the year), Wooden Award Watch List (most outstanding player), Cheryl Miller Award Watch List (nation's best small forward)
• Osborne: Preseason All-Pac-12, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List (nation's best shooting guard)
Players Mentioned
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