Wednesday, January 14
Minneapolis, MN
5 p.m. PT
UCLA
16-1,6-0Big Ten
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at
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Minnesota
12-5,3-3Big Ten
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UCLA
17
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Minnesota
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Photo by: UCLA Athletics
No. 3 UCLA Completes Road Trip with a Win at Minnesota
January 14, 2026 | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - No. 3-ranked UCLA (16-1, 6-1 B1G) concluded its road trip with a 76-58 win over Minnesota (12-5, 3-3 B1G) on Wednesday night.
Birthday magic was in full effect with senior Kiki Rice as she led the Bruins to victory, tying her career-high with 25 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and one block while shooting 89 percent (8-9 FG, 3-3 3FG) from the field. Senior Lauren Betts recorded her third double-double in a row and seventh of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and one block. Senior Gabriela Jaquez also hit the double-digit mark, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
After going down 0-5 early, the Bruins quickly switched the momentum of the game, going on a 17-4 run through the rest of the first quarter. A three-point shot by graduate student Charlisse Leger-Walker started the streak for UCLA, with the Bruins scoring 10-straight points afterward. Rice immediately followed Leger-Walker's three with a steal on Minnesota's possession, then drove down the hole on the fast break to finish the layup. Rice then got the rebound off a missed Golden Gopher shot and found Lauren Betts, who scored another two. After Jaquez finished for two more off the fast break, Dugalić scored the next four points for UCLA.
The Bruins finished the first with a 17-9 lead.
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Rice started the quarter for the Bruins, stepping inside the arc to pump fake a shot, only to find freshman Sienna Betts under the basket for the layup. Rice scored the next six for UCLA, hitting two threes to push the lead to 25-16 with 4:49 left in the half. After a good Leger-Walker jump shot, Rice made an impact again, answering a Minnesota make with a basket of her own. Showing her defensive side, Rice blocked a layup at the 1:36 mark, followed by a Dugalić three on the Bruins next possession.
Rice led all scorers with 12 points at the half, shooting perfectly from the field to complement her four assists and three rebounds. Dugalić made an impact off the bench, finishing the half with seven points.
Rice continued with her birthday dominance to start the second half, recording a steal on the first possession. Graduate student Gianna Kneepkens grabbed a steal on the next possession, then drew the foul and hit two free throws. After two layups by Lauren Betts and Rice to increase the lead to 12, Dugalić remained strong in the post, maneuvering around a defender to hit the reverse layup. Lauren Betts stayed active on the boards for the Bruins, snagging the offensive rebound to hit the second-chance layup. Immediately after, Kneepkens stole the ball on the Golden Gophers' possession, which resulted in a Rice driving layup off the fast break. The Bruins finished the third up 51-39.
Rice started the fourth hitting a pullup jumper to give the Bruins a 14-point lead. One minute later, Leger-Walker recorded a steal, resulting in a fast break layup finished by Jaquez. Despite the triple team on Lauren Betts, she made the layup and drew the foul at the 6:21 mark. Leger-Walker earned her second steal of the quarter for the Bruins, leading to two more UCLA points off a Lauren Betts shot. Rice continued with her stellar night, answering a Minnesota jumper with a Bruin three. Jaquez concluded the game with a driving layup, giving UCLA the 76-58 win.
UCLA finished way ahead in field goal percentage, shooting 60 percent to Minnesota's 40 percent in the game. The Bruins converted 38 percent of their 3-point shots while containing the Golden Gophers to 24 percent. UCLA led in rebounding 34-22, 17-3 in fast break points, and finished with seven steals.
UP NEXT: vs. No. 12-ranked Maryland (Jan. 18)
UCLA returns home for a battle against No. 12-ranked Maryland on Sunday, January 18th, inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PT on NBC.
Birthday magic was in full effect with senior Kiki Rice as she led the Bruins to victory, tying her career-high with 25 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and one block while shooting 89 percent (8-9 FG, 3-3 3FG) from the field. Senior Lauren Betts recorded her third double-double in a row and seventh of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and one block. Senior Gabriela Jaquez also hit the double-digit mark, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
After going down 0-5 early, the Bruins quickly switched the momentum of the game, going on a 17-4 run through the rest of the first quarter. A three-point shot by graduate student Charlisse Leger-Walker started the streak for UCLA, with the Bruins scoring 10-straight points afterward. Rice immediately followed Leger-Walker's three with a steal on Minnesota's possession, then drove down the hole on the fast break to finish the layup. Rice then got the rebound off a missed Golden Gopher shot and found Lauren Betts, who scored another two. After Jaquez finished for two more off the fast break, Dugalić scored the next four points for UCLA.
The Bruins finished the first with a 17-9 lead.
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Your birthday present is a steal and score! ????
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 15, 2026
??: B1G+#GoBruins | @kiki_rice0 pic.twitter.com/r6kvWHydVM
Rice started the quarter for the Bruins, stepping inside the arc to pump fake a shot, only to find freshman Sienna Betts under the basket for the layup. Rice scored the next six for UCLA, hitting two threes to push the lead to 25-16 with 4:49 left in the half. After a good Leger-Walker jump shot, Rice made an impact again, answering a Minnesota make with a basket of her own. Showing her defensive side, Rice blocked a layup at the 1:36 mark, followed by a Dugalić three on the Bruins next possession.
Rice led all scorers with 12 points at the half, shooting perfectly from the field to complement her four assists and three rebounds. Dugalić made an impact off the bench, finishing the half with seven points.
The fake and the find! ?????
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 15, 2026
??: B1G+#GoBruins | @kiki_rice0 x @SiennaBetts pic.twitter.com/ns2o2Sf8S2
Rice continued with her birthday dominance to start the second half, recording a steal on the first possession. Graduate student Gianna Kneepkens grabbed a steal on the next possession, then drew the foul and hit two free throws. After two layups by Lauren Betts and Rice to increase the lead to 12, Dugalić remained strong in the post, maneuvering around a defender to hit the reverse layup. Lauren Betts stayed active on the boards for the Bruins, snagging the offensive rebound to hit the second-chance layup. Immediately after, Kneepkens stole the ball on the Golden Gophers' possession, which resulted in a Rice driving layup off the fast break. The Bruins finished the third up 51-39.
The sturdy Serbian stayed solid in the post and got the reverse to go!
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 15, 2026
??: B1G+#GoBruins | @giannakneepkens x @AngelaDugalic pic.twitter.com/qO9Qz03eq5
Rice started the fourth hitting a pullup jumper to give the Bruins a 14-point lead. One minute later, Leger-Walker recorded a steal, resulting in a fast break layup finished by Jaquez. Despite the triple team on Lauren Betts, she made the layup and drew the foul at the 6:21 mark. Leger-Walker earned her second steal of the quarter for the Bruins, leading to two more UCLA points off a Lauren Betts shot. Rice continued with her stellar night, answering a Minnesota jumper with a Bruin three. Jaquez concluded the game with a driving layup, giving UCLA the 76-58 win.
ROLLIN' AND ROARIN' TO AN AND-OOOOONNNNNEEEEE ?????????
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) January 15, 2026
??: B1G+#GoBruins | @giannakneepkens x @laurenbetts12 pic.twitter.com/l87PmbWHpp
UCLA finished way ahead in field goal percentage, shooting 60 percent to Minnesota's 40 percent in the game. The Bruins converted 38 percent of their 3-point shots while containing the Golden Gophers to 24 percent. UCLA led in rebounding 34-22, 17-3 in fast break points, and finished with seven steals.
UP NEXT: vs. No. 12-ranked Maryland (Jan. 18)
UCLA returns home for a battle against No. 12-ranked Maryland on Sunday, January 18th, inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PT on NBC.
Team Stats
UCLA
MINN
FG%
.600
.403
3FG%
.385
.235
FT%
.895
.667
RB
34
22
TO
17
10
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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