No. 1 UCLA women fend off a pesky No. 8 Ohio State

Tough matchups against the best talent in the country are what are going to help the UCLA women’s basketball team make a deep run in March, and they faced one of their toughest tests in a highly anticipated showdown against Ohio State at Pauley Pavilion.

No. 1 UCLA ultimately came out on top, turning a three-point lead into a 13-point victory to fend off No. 8 Ohio State, 65-52, in a Big Ten showdown.

After their third win over a top-10 opponent this season, coach Cori Close told her players they needed a game like Wednesday night, filled with “chaos and disappointment.”

In the first half, Close said her team fell into playing Ohio State’s game, which threw them out of rhythm and led to a back-and-forth battle.

“Ohio State is the first team that made us play that way, and really were the more aggressive team for a long time,” Close said. “But, it forced us to go to another level of toughness to get the win.”

UCLA struggled early against Ohio State’s stringent full-court press, which frequently disrupted their offense and made it difficult to advance the ball. The pressure forced the Bruins into 14 first-half turnovers, including eight steals, leading to transition scores for the Buckeyes and adding to UCLA’s frustration.

“They really turned us over, which was way uncharacteristic for our team, and then they attacked us in transition,” Close said. “They were effective in getting to their spots.”

UCLA guard Kiki Rice grabs the ball from Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon to start a fast break in the second half.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

UCLA, which led by as many as 11, entered the fourth quarter clinging to a two-point lead. Ohio State quickly erased it with a jumper, tying the score at 44-44.

From there, the Bruins unleashed an 18-1 scoring run, fueled by Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez, who scored eight and nine points in the quarter, respectively. The surge extended UCLA’s lead to 18 with 3:16 remaining, crushing any hopes of a Buckeyes comeback.

Jaquez, who struggled in the first half with just two points, came out of the locker room with a different approach.

“I took time in the locker room, just calmed myself down,” Jaquez said. “I remembered what I learned and just came out there and played with my teammates and had fun.”

Jaquez, along with Rice, finished in double figures, scoring 12 and 17 points, respectively.

Despite a blown lead, Close said her team played the best when it counted, in the fourth quarter.

“We had to find a way to buckle down and do it with toughness, rebounding and defense,” Close added. “That’s exactly what happened in the fourth quarter.”

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The Bruins dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Buckeyes 49-33, with Lauren Betts leading the way. She grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds and added a team-leading 19 points on eight-of-13 shooting, securing her 12th double-double of the season.

UCLA’s defense, particularly in the second half, played a crucial role in securing the victory. The Bruins held Ohio State, which entered the game averaging 81.6 points per contest, to just 52 points on 20-of-68 shooting (29.4%).

“Once we locked in and did what the coaches told us to do a bit more consistently, that just worked for us,” Betts said. “Passion plays are something we always talk about, and in the fourth quarter, we had a lot of deflections and took control of their offense.”

Despite the back-and-forth battle, Betts said the pressure in the biggest games has helped them adjust and step up when needed.

UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez leads her team onto the court before the game.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“Once it [the pressure] happened in this game, we were kind of ready for it,” Betts said. “We went off of what we do every day, where we hold each other accountable. And sometimes it’s hard, but we just take it and just move on.”

Remaining undefeated, Close and her team will continue to face pressure as long as they stay the only unbeaten team in the country. Close welcomes it as an opportunity to see how her team adapts.

“Bottom line is, I thought they really gutted it out, responded to some adversity,” Close said. “They were the tougher team, that’s hard to teach. I thought we had to experience that and find a way to win.”