No. 2 UCLA women look to continue Big Ten dominance

LOS ANGELES — Inglewood is playing host to the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. But it might not be the best basketball spectacle the city has to offer.

Not with the way the UCLA women’s basketball team is playing.

Each time the Bruins (24-1, 14-0 Big Ten) are presented with what seems to be their greatest challenge on the Big Ten schedule, they keep rolling with ease. Most recently: road victories against two top-15 teams – Michigan and Michigan State.

The next test: Sunday’s home game against Indiana (14-12, 3-11). The Hoosiers are on track to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. Yet with coach Teri Moren, and a history of success, the Bruins can’t take them lightly.

UCLA’s dominance has been a result of precise scouting report execution. On Wednesday, the Bruins held Spartans’ leading scorer Grace VanSlooten to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.

“We switched all the ball screens, except with Lauren [Betts] and Grace, so that we could keep that matchup the best we could,” head coach Cori Close said after Wednesday’s victory.

Close held the 6-foot-3 VanSlooten in high praise, saying “she’s going to be playing at the next level.” The Bruins held her in check and well under her 15.5 scoring average. Betts proved why she was the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, and her teammates complemented her, limiting Michigan State’s penetration.

“We were really trying to take away their right-hand drives,” Close said. “Because we took away those right-hand drives, we were able to stay home on the matchup with Lauren versus Grace, and that’s an advantage we have.”

UCLA held Michigan State to 31% shooting from the field. Despite losing the turnover battle by eight, the Bruins won the game by 23. Close was displeased with the Bruins’ ball security. She knows that correlation is not normal.

Then again, in these Big Ten games, not much has been able to stop the Bruins. These conference matchups are part of UCLA’s journey to its ultimate goal, and yet they show no signs of complacency.

“I thought it was a business-like, mature trip for us,” Close said. “We told our team, Iit’s going to be like a Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight game, but it’s gonna be in a hostile environment. It’s not gonna be on a neutral court. So how tough can you be? How business-minded can you be?’ And I thought they were really level.”

It’s expected for a team with six seniors, five of whom are returners. The Bruins will bring the same intensity – whether it’s a mid-February road trip to Michigan, a home game against Indiana or a deep run into early April. They know that’s necessary in their final year remaining to achieve glory.

Indiana at No. 2 UCLA

When: Noon Sunday

Where: Pauley Pavilion

TV: Peacock