The city of Los Angeles sits at the top of the Big Ten world, and in its first year in the conference, there have been no growing pains, even considering the cross-country travel.
No. 1 UCLA weathered that storm and took down Rutgers 84-66 on Thursday night as the Scarlet Knights (8-12, 0-9) saw their losing streak reach eight consecutive games.
The Bruins (19-0, 7-0) - one of two undefeated teams left in the country along with LSU at 20-0 - overwhelmed Rutgers with its size and passing ability, led by star center Lauren Betts. She finished with an efficient double-double, scoring 25 points on 12-for-16 shooting with 13 rebounds. UCLA had three other scorers in double-figures, with Londynn Jones, Angela Dugalic, and Kiki Rice scoring 12, 11, and 10 points respectively. Rice finished with a double-double with a game-high 10 assists.
Destiny Adams notched her seventh double-double in the last eight games, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Kiyomi McMiller struggled to start the game but finished leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring with 17 points on 7-for-20 shooting with five rebounds and four assists. JoJo Lacey was the lone other Rutgers player in double-figures with 14 points.
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Despite the loss, the Scarlet Knights played a solid game on defense in stretches, trailing 18-12 after the first quarter. The Bruins started the game on a 10-0 run, but a quick adjustment to a zone by Rutgers slowed down UCLA's offensive momentum and set up the Scarlet Knights to keep the game close.
The Bruins found their offensive groove in the second quarter, scoring 27 points on a blistering 11-for-16 (68.8%) clip from the floor. They also hit five threes as the attention on Betts drew defenders in the paint and left shooters open. They took a 45-29 lead into halftime after a late spurt from Adams on the perimeter.
The biggest difference in the first half was shooting, as the Scarlet Knights were limited to just a 10-for-34 mark (29.4%) in the opening 20 minutes, while UCLA hit half of their 36 attempts from the floor. The offense simply did not hit enough shots to have a chance in the game, a trend that has plagued them for much of the season and the current losing streak.
The second half was closer in scoring margin, however the Bruins never truly felt uncomfortable after the second quarter. Though the Scarlet Knights made multiple runs to try and get back in the game, UCLA's lead in the second half was never closer than 14 points.
"I think when you play a team like UCLA, they have a lot of weapons, so when we slowed down their interior game they did a good job of throwing it around and knocking down some threes," Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington said on the Bruins' adjustments to stretch their lead.
The Scarlet Knights started off with a solid rebounding performance with 12 in the first quarter before UCLA took over with their size, eventually winning the battle on the boards 49-35 for the game.
One aspect Rutgers has improved on throughout the season is taking care of the basketball. The Scarlet Knights managed to win the turnover battle, and scoring off of them, committing only eight turnovers on offense and forcing 12, while scoring 20 points off those turnovers compared to only 8 points off turnovers for UCLA.
Though the Bruins eventyally found their form, the Scarlet Knights fought for all 40 minutes, even bringing UCLA's lead to within 15 points after leading by as much as 24 earlier in the quarter.
From here, the schedule lightens up - at least in terms of top-end Big Ten talents already over with - but Washington noted the conference is a daily grind no matter who is on the schedule.
"We played the first half of Big Ten play with an incredibly tough schedule," she said with a sight chuckle. "Yes, it gets easier, but this is the Big Ten. I don't even know who we play next, wherever we go - I don't think we're at home - it's gonna be tough. It doesn't get easier, I know it looks easier on paper because of the number before the team, but in the Big Ten, I just think every game is tough."
Washington also remarked on what she's learned about her team in spite of losing eight consecutive games.
"What I like about our team is we are continuing to learn how to play together," she said. "We are continuing to get better defensively, we are continuing to fight and have a resilience and a determination. You see that today, you play the number one team in the country, who just beat Baylor on Monday, and we come out here and give them everything we have. I feel like we take one game at a time and the lessons we learn, they will show up sooner."
The Scarlet Knights have an opportunity to stack up Big Ten wins in the near future against some of the middling and bottom teams, starting with a road matchup at Penn State, Washington's former school. The Nittany Lions took down No. 12 Ohio State on Sunday for their first Big Ten win, also giving the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.
Winning against the conference's lower echelon will be key to secure a spot in the expanded-but-not-fully-inclusive Big Ten Tournament, as that draws near in 41 days.
If Rutgers continues to stack on efforts like tonight's against the top dog in the country, the wins will show against some of the lower-level teams. The key is consistency, an aspect where the Scarlet Knights have struggled. They have no more games aganist any teams that are currently ranked.
Now is the time to take advantage and snap the skid.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE GAME
Destiny Adams beats the first-quarter buzzer with an offensive rebound and reverse layup.
UP NEXT?
Following the one-game homestand, Rutgers goes back on the road to nearby Penn State to face off against the Nittany Lions on Sunday. The game will tip off at 1pm EST, and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus, with radio broadcasts available on Fox Sports NJ and WRSU-FM.
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