LOS ANGELES – No. 1-seed UCLA (30-2) will host No. 16-seed Southern University (21-14) in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA DI women's basketball tournament Friday.
The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. PT inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between the teams in program history. Southern defeated UC San Diego, 68-56, in its First Four game on Wednesday to advance to the First Round Friday. Wednesday's victory marked the Jaguars' first-ever NCAA Tournament win as Southern advanced to the round of 64.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Tip-off Time: 7 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
TV Talent: Dave O'Brien, Christy Winters-Scott, Holly Rowe
Radio: UCLA Digital Radio
Radio Talent: Dave Marcus
TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket packages for the 2024-25 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament hosted at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial are still available.
NCAA Women's Basketball 1st and 2nd Round Package includes the following games on Friday and Sunday:
Friday, March 21, 2025
Game 1 | 4:30pm | Richmond vs Georgia Tech
Game 2 | 7:00pm | Southern vs UCLA
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Game 3 | time TBA | Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Fans can call (310) 825-2946 or visit uclabruins.com/tickets for more information. For additional information on women's basketball, please visit uclabruins.com, email cto@tickets.ucla.edu, or call (310) UCLA-WIN (825-2946).
WHAT'S BRUIN
• Five Bruins earned B1G postseason honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday, March 4. Lauren Betts was named the unanimous Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches and made the cut for All-Big Ten First Team and All-Defensive Team. She was joined by Kiki Rice on the All-Big Ten First Team; Rice was also UCLA's B1G Sportsmanship Honoree. Junior Janiah Barker was named the league's Sixth Player of the Year by coaches and media. Gabriela Jaquez (media) and Londynn Jones (coaches) were tabbed as All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
• Betts was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press, marking the first time a Bruin has collected that honor in program history. She was also named USBWA First Team All-America, joining Natalie Williams (1993, 1994) as a first teamer from Westwood. Rice was also named AP All-America Honorable Mention on Wednesday, March 19.
• UCLA claims three of the top 25 rebounding spots in the new conference: Betts (3rd - 9.7 RPG), Barker (24th - 5.9), Angela Dugalić (25th - 5.8 RPG). The team ranks 4th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (43.3 RPG) and 1st in rebounding margin (+12.8) while leading the conference in all rebounding statistical categories.
• The Bruins have four players averaging 5+ RPG: Betts (281 REB), Barker (184 REB), Dugalić (175 REB) and Jaquez (5.3 RPG, 163 REB); and seven players averaging 7+ PPG: Betts (19.6), Rice (12.8), Jaquez (9.9), Jones (8.8), Dugalić (7.7), Barker (7.6) and Gardiner (7.6).
• The Bruins are among the top five in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2nd - 1.35), blocks (2nd - 5.4 BPG), scoring offense (5th - 78.6 PPG) and scoring margin (2nd - +21.0).
• The Bruins have led wire-to-wire in 15 of the 30 wins and have claimed 10 ranked victories this season. All but four wins have been by 10+ points this year (vs. Louisville, Michigan State, at Iowa, vs. USC).
• UCLA had 22-consecutive wins by a double-digit margin, setting the longest streak in program history. The previous record was 15 in the 1977-78 season. UCLA's previous-best win streak also came in the 1977-78 campaign (21 games).
• The Bruins boast 9 McDonald's All Americans on the roster: Janiah Barker, Lauren Betts, Kendall Dudley, Angela Dugalić, Timea Gardiner, Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, Zania Socka-Nguemen. Jaquez and Rice shared co-MVP honors, and Londynn Jones - while not a McDAAG participant - placed second in the high school three-point contest at the 2022 games.
The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. PT inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between the teams in program history. Southern defeated UC San Diego, 68-56, in its First Four game on Wednesday to advance to the First Round Friday. Wednesday's victory marked the Jaguars' first-ever NCAA Tournament win as Southern advanced to the round of 64.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Tip-off Time: 7 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
TV Talent: Dave O'Brien, Christy Winters-Scott, Holly Rowe
Radio: UCLA Digital Radio
Radio Talent: Dave Marcus
TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket packages for the 2024-25 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament hosted at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial are still available.
NCAA Women's Basketball 1st and 2nd Round Package includes the following games on Friday and Sunday:
Friday, March 21, 2025
Game 1 | 4:30pm | Richmond vs Georgia Tech
Game 2 | 7:00pm | Southern vs UCLA
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Game 3 | time TBA | Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Fans can call (310) 825-2946 or visit uclabruins.com/tickets for more information. For additional information on women's basketball, please visit uclabruins.com, email cto@tickets.ucla.edu, or call (310) UCLA-WIN (825-2946).
WHAT'S BRUIN
• Five Bruins earned B1G postseason honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday, March 4. Lauren Betts was named the unanimous Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches and made the cut for All-Big Ten First Team and All-Defensive Team. She was joined by Kiki Rice on the All-Big Ten First Team; Rice was also UCLA's B1G Sportsmanship Honoree. Junior Janiah Barker was named the league's Sixth Player of the Year by coaches and media. Gabriela Jaquez (media) and Londynn Jones (coaches) were tabbed as All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
• Betts was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press, marking the first time a Bruin has collected that honor in program history. She was also named USBWA First Team All-America, joining Natalie Williams (1993, 1994) as a first teamer from Westwood. Rice was also named AP All-America Honorable Mention on Wednesday, March 19.
• UCLA claims three of the top 25 rebounding spots in the new conference: Betts (3rd - 9.7 RPG), Barker (24th - 5.9), Angela Dugalić (25th - 5.8 RPG). The team ranks 4th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (43.3 RPG) and 1st in rebounding margin (+12.8) while leading the conference in all rebounding statistical categories.
• The Bruins have four players averaging 5+ RPG: Betts (281 REB), Barker (184 REB), Dugalić (175 REB) and Jaquez (5.3 RPG, 163 REB); and seven players averaging 7+ PPG: Betts (19.6), Rice (12.8), Jaquez (9.9), Jones (8.8), Dugalić (7.7), Barker (7.6) and Gardiner (7.6).
• The Bruins are among the top five in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2nd - 1.35), blocks (2nd - 5.4 BPG), scoring offense (5th - 78.6 PPG) and scoring margin (2nd - +21.0).
• The Bruins have led wire-to-wire in 15 of the 30 wins and have claimed 10 ranked victories this season. All but four wins have been by 10+ points this year (vs. Louisville, Michigan State, at Iowa, vs. USC).
• UCLA had 22-consecutive wins by a double-digit margin, setting the longest streak in program history. The previous record was 15 in the 1977-78 season. UCLA's previous-best win streak also came in the 1977-78 campaign (21 games).
• The Bruins boast 9 McDonald's All Americans on the roster: Janiah Barker, Lauren Betts, Kendall Dudley, Angela Dugalić, Timea Gardiner, Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, Zania Socka-Nguemen. Jaquez and Rice shared co-MVP honors, and Londynn Jones - while not a McDAAG participant - placed second in the high school three-point contest at the 2022 games.