No. 10 UCLA Finishes Up Road Trip at California

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GAME INFORMATION
No. 10 UCLA (20-2, 9-2) at California (9-13, 1-10)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 9
Time: 2:00 p.m. PT
Location: Berkeley, Calif. (Haas Pavilion)
Watch: Pac-12 Network
Listen: Live Audio (Play-By-Play: Dave Marcus)

GAME PREVIEW
UCLA (20-2, 9-2) finishes up a four-game road trip with a matchup against California (9-13, 1-10) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks with Dave Marcus on the play-by-play call for UCLA radio at ucla.leanplayer.com. The Bruins have gone 2-1 on the road trip, securing wins over then-No. 19/20 Arizona State (Feb. 2) and No. 6/5 Stanford (Feb. 7).

California is in its first season under head coach Charmin Smith, a longtime Berkeley assistant who took the helm after former coach Lindsay Gottlieb accepted an assistant position with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith is a Stanford alumna who played for the Cardinal from 1993-97 and helped the team to three NCAA Final Fours and three Pac-10 titles. The Golden Bears have experienced some growing pains this past year, having only won one Pac-12 game and nine games overall this season. That said, Cal is coming off a recent overtime victory on the road at Washington (Feb. 2) that saw the Golden Bears outscore the Huskies 14-7 in OT to secure the win. Center CJ West had a terrific night, putting up 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting to lead the Bears. Cal's leading scorer, Jaelyn Brown, notched 19 points in the victory. After starting their non-conference schedule 1-2, Cal secured wins in eight of their last nine non-league matchups, including an 84-80 home victory over then-No. 20 Arkansas.

The Golden Bears have some key strengths the Bruins will need to account for, including Cal's proficiency from the free throw line. Cal has also been strong on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in the league in offensive boards with 13.5 per game. The Bears rank second in the Conference with 12.6 free throws made per contest and are shooting at a 74.7 percent clip from the line. Cal has also shown some prowess with interior defense, as the team ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in blocks per game (3.7) since league play began.

Today's game is the 78th all-time meeting between the UC rivals. The Bruins hold a 54-23 all-time series advantage and come into the afternoon riding a five-game winning streak. This is the first meeting between UCLA and Cal this season. The two programs last meet on Feb. 17, 2019, a game that saw the Bruins secure an 80-74 victory at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA's win was highlighted by a career-high 28 points from Japreece Dean, who went 8-for-18 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. She also recorded only one turnover in 40 minutes of action. Michaela Onyenwere also had an impressive night, putting up 23 points and nine rebounds in the win.

UP NEXT
The Bruins return home to Pauley Pavilion to host Oregon on Friday, Feb. 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. PT with Pac-12 Networks on hand for the television broadcast. Dave Marcus will handle play-by-play duties for UCLA Radio on ucla.leanplayer.com. The game will be UCLA's annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game for breast cancer awareness, honoring the life of late NCAA Women's Basketball Coach Kay Yow.

THE STORYLINES

Cori Close earned her 100th-career Pac-12 victory in the Bruins' victory over No. 6/5 Stanford on Friday, Feb. 7. Close also improved to 192-101 (.655) all-time in her career at UCLA.
With UCLA's victory over No. 6/5 Stanford on Friday, Feb. 7, the Bruins improved to 4-1 against ranked opponents this year (at Indiana, vs. Arizona, at Arizona State, at Stanford).
UCLA (20-2, 9-2) got off to the best start in program history with 16-straight wins to open the season. The Bruins surpassed the 1980-81 squad's original streak of 12-straight wins to start the year with a 68-66 win over Arizona State (Jan. 3).
The Bruins have won 20 of their first 22 games for the first time since the 2010-11 season, when the team started the year 22-2.
With Oregon State's loss to Arizona State (Jan. 12), the Bruins became the last remaining undefeated team in the nation at 16-0. This is the first time the last undefeated team in the nation has been from the Pac-12.
The Bruins opened the season 5-0 in Conference play for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when the team won its first six Pac-12 games.
Since league play began, UCLA is second in the Conference in points per game at 73.1. UCLA is also second in offensive rebounds per game with 16.0 The Bruins have also made a habit of getting their shots up, as they lead the Conference in free throw attempts (18.9) and field goal attempts (68.0) per game.
UCLA established a season high with 28 offensive rebounds in the team's victory over Washington (Jan. 24). The Bruins rank ninth in the country in offensive rebounds per game (16.2) and are second in the Pac-12.
Michaela Onyenwere notched a career-high 31 points in UCLA's win over Washington (Jan. 24), adding nine rebounds and two assists in the performance. She also knocked down a career-high 13 field goals.
With her 100th-career steal against Arizona (Jan. 5), Onyenwere became the 23rd player in UCLA history to register 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds, and 100 career steals (1,298 pts, 633 reb, 108 stl).
The Bruins have won 72 of their last 80 games at Pauley Pavilion, including their last 14 (11-0 this year). UCLA went 11-5 at home last season.
In 2018-19, Cori Close led UCLA to its fourth-straight 20-win season and fourth-straight trip to the Sweet 16. UCLA joins a list of eight teams in the NCAA that have made the Sweet 16 each of the past four seasons (Baylor, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Oregon State, South Carolina, Stanford, UConn).

BRUINS IN THE POLLS

UCLA is ranked No. 10 in the most recent Associated Press (AP) Poll (Week 14 - Feb. 3, 2020) and USA Today Coaches Poll (Week 14 - Feb. 4, 2020), marking the ninth-straight week the Bruins have been in the top 10 in both national polls.
UCLA was ranked No. 11 in both the Associated Press (AP) and USA TODAY Coaches preseason polls.
The Bruins are one of six Pac-12 teams ranked in both the AP and USA Today Polls.
The Pac-12 Conference boasts four teams in the top-10 in the AP Poll (No. 3 Oregon, No. 6 Stanford, No. 9 Oregon State, and No. 10 UCLA).

CLOSE EARNS 100TH PAC-12 VICTORY AS UCLA DOWNS NO. 6/5 STANFORD

No. 10 UCLA women's basketball traveled to Maples Pavilion and took down No. 6/5 Stanford, 79-69, giving Michael Price Family Head Women's Basketball Coach Cori Cloes her 100th-career Pac-12 victory.
The Bruins were led by Michaela Onyenwere, who put up 29 points and 10 rebounds on the night. The junior notched her 10th 20+ point performance and sixth double-double of the year. Chantel Horvat notched a career-high 14 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
After the Cardinal cut the Bruins' lead to 63-59 at the 3:03 mark, UCLA responded with three-straight baskets from Horvat, Onyenwere, and Charisma Osborne to take its largest lead of the night (69-59) with 1:25 to play. UCLA would ice the game away at the line and solidify the final score at 79-69.

BRUINS BOUNCE BACK WITH WIN AT NO. 19/20 ARIZONA STATE

UCLA secured a regular season sweep of Arizona State with a 70-61 victory in Tempe. The Bruins outscored the Sun Devils 20-10 in the third quarter and allowed just one ASU offensive rebound in the second half to control the tempo of the final quarters and earn the victory.
Senior guard Japreece Dean led the way for the Bruins with 18 points and four rebounds in the win. She also went 4-for-4 from the line. Freshman guard Charisma Osborne notched 15 points, including 10 in the Bruins' dominant third quarter.
The win was UCLA's ninth-straight over ASU and moved head coach Cori Close to 13-3 all-time against the Sun Devils.

UCLA FALLS ON THE ROAD TO NO. 16/17 ARIZONA

The Bruins took their second loss of the year with a 92-66 defeat at the hands of Arizona at McKale Center. UCLA moved to 18-2 overall and 7-2 in Conference play on the year.
Junior Michaela Onyenwere and freshman Charisma Osborne led the Bruins in scoring, putting up 17 and 14 points, respectively. Onyenwere added 12 rebounds to record her fifth double-double of the season. Freshmen Brynn Masikewich put up a career-high with four points, all in the fourth quarter.
Despite the tough scoreline, UCLA outrebounded Arizona, 37-30, and put up a solid 19 bench points on the night.

BRUINS TAKE DOWN WASHINGTON STATE, SECURE HOME SWEEP

UCLA secured a weekend home sweep with a 66-50 victory over Washington State on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins tied a season-high with 14 steals and added 19 points off Cougar turnovers to control the defensive tempo and secure the victory.
The teams were tied at 14 at the end of the first quarter, but the Bruins went on to outscore WSU 40-19 over the next two quarters to take a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter. After the Cougars cut the deficit to 12 with an 11-0 run in the fourth, the Bruins responded with six-straight points and iced the game away on the offensive glass.
The Bruins were led by junior Michaela Onyenwere, who led all scores with 23 points, good for her ninth 20+ point performance of the year. Freshman Charisma Osborne put up 16 points and five rebounds in the win, while senior Japreece Dean and junior Lauryn Miller each contributed 10 points.

UCLA DEFEATS WASHINGTON IN OVERTIME, 85-80

The Bruins overcame a 15-point second quarter deficit to defeat Washington, 85-80. Michaela Onyenwere put up a career-high 31 points and added nine rebounds in the win. Natalie Chou drained four three-pointers en route to 18 points on the night.
The Bruins outscored the Huskies 26-12 in the third quarter to take a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but UW battled back to send the game into overtime. UCLA went on a 7-1 run to open the overtime session and iced the game away at the line, solidifying the 85-80 victory.

PROTECTING PAULEY

UCLA has been simply dominant in Westwood, winning 71 of its last 79 games at home (.899).
The Bruins are 10-0 at home this season and have won their last 13 games in Westwood dating back to last season.
The Bruins went 46-3 at home between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

ROAD WARRIORS

UCLA is 8-2 on the road in 2019-20 and has won eight of its last nine on the road. Additionally, the Bruins have won three true road games against ranked teams this year: at Indiana (Dec. 22), at Arizona State (Feb. 2), at Stanford (Feb. 7).
The Bruins have now won 17 of their last 22 road games over the last two seasons.
Five of UCLA's nine road triumphs last season were against ranked opponents and the Bruins' two top-10 road wins in 2018-19 were the most for the program since the 1980-81 season.

ALL-PAC-12 SELECTIONS RETURNING

UCLA returns All-Pac-12 honoree Michaela Onyenwere, the team's top returning scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (8.5 rpg). She eclipsed the 30-point mark at Maryland last season, becoming the second Bruin ever (Nikki Blue) to score at least 30 in the Big Dance and propelling UCLA to its fourth-straight Sweet 16.
Lindsey Corsaro made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2018-19. She averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG and scored a career-high 18 points vs. Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.

FRESH FACES

UCLA's top-10 recruiting class made its debut in Westwood in the win over Weber State on Nov. 5, 2019. The highly-touted includes McDonald's All-Americans, Jaden Owens and Charisma Osborne, as well as 6-2 forward Brynn Masikewich (DNP) and defensive stopper Camryn Brown (DNP).
After redshirting due to NCAA transfer rules (Baylor), Natalie Chou finally had an opportunity to contribute on the court. She played 64 career games (21 starts) for the Lady Bears, averaging 5.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG.

HARD WORK IN THE CLASSROOM

The Bruin women's basketball program notched a 100 percent graduation rate in 2018-19, helping UCLA Athletics tally an all-time high Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 92 percent.

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT

Japreece Dean was named to the Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation's top point guard. A total of 20 point guards were named to the list, five of which came from the Pac-12. This was the most out of any conference in the NCAA. In 2018-19, Dean finished third on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game and ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in assists per game at 4.9. In the final seven games of the season, she registered 16.7 points and 6.6 assists per outing.
Japreece Dean and Michaela Onyenwere made the Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List. A total of 50 players made the list, which will be trimmed to 30 in early February.
Michaela Onyenwere was one of five forwards from the Pac-12 who earned a spot on the Watch List for the 2020 Cheryl Miller Award, which recognizes the top small forward in the country. Last year, she led the Bruins in scoring (18.3 PPG) and ranked second on the team in rebounds (8.5 RPG). Onyenwere hauled in 4.1 offensive boards – good for second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally.
Adding to her list of preseason plaudits, Michaela Onyenwere also made the 2019-20 Preseason 'Wade Watch' List, an award given to the best player in women's college basketball. Last season, the award was given to Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon.
Michaela Onyenwere earned a spot on the Women's Preseason Top 30 Watch List on ESPNW for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy's®. The list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
Michaela Onyenwere was selected among the 35 outstanding players by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its 2019-20 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the National Player of the Year.

ELITE PROGRAM

UCLA eclipsed the 20-win mark and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season under Cori Close.
The Bruins averaged an astounding 17.3 offensive rebounds per game in 2018-19, ranking first in the Pac-12 and second in the NCAA. Over four of those offensive boards came from Michaela Onyenwere, who was 11th in the NCAA in that category.
UCLA took down seven ranked opponents last year.
The Bruins had two top-10 wins, defeating No. 2 Oregon and No. 9 Maryland.
For the fourth-straight season, UCLA finished fourth or higher in the Pac-12 Conference.

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