LOS ANGELES – There was a Big Ten mismatch on Wednesday in Pauley Pavilion when No. 2 UCLA (22-1, 12-0) hosted Rutgers (9-14, 1-11) and came out the other end with an 86-46 victory to remain undefeated in conference play.
A matchup between the top and bottom teams in the Big Ten was expected to end in Bruin domination and by the end of the first quarter, where UCLA went on a 17-0 run at one point and finished the quarter ahead 26-6, the game looked pretty much over.
Advertisement
That comfort meant that UCLA head coach Cori Close had some freedom to experiment with different rotations and utilize players like freshman forward Sienna Betts, freshman guard Lena Bilic and redshirt-sophomore forward Amanda Muse much earlier in the game than they’d appear normally.
Muse played 20 minutes, her second-most minutes this season, while Bilic played 20 minutes herself and Betts played close to 24 minutes while scoring 11 points, the same amount her older sister senior center Lauren Betts scored in the game.
“I’m sure she’ll [Sienna Betts] rub that in quite a bit,” Close said.
Mixing in new rotations
The benefit of rotations that are uncommon to the team is that it gives them an opportunity to try out combinations with each other they otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to. It also means that the starters have a chance to rest their bodies in a game where the stakes are much lower and the end result is all but guaranteed.
Advertisement
“We mixed up our rotations a little bit. It’s a long year. We want to protect our bodies a little bit,” senior guard Kiki Rice said. “It’s also a great opportunity to play with other people. To work on actions together and how we play with each other and we need to be able to play with different lineups because there’s going to be times where that’s going to happen throughout the year.”
Kiki Rice #1 of the UCLA Bruins drives towards the basket during an NCAA basketball game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Wednesday February 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Jordan Teller – The Sporting Tribune
Kiki Rice #1 of the UCLA Bruins drives towards the basket during an NCAA basketball game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Wednesday February 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Advertisement
An inspirational audience
Wednesday’s game was extra special because it fell on National Girls and Women in Sports Day. To celebrate UCLA involved several young women in the game production, with squeaky voices calling out over the loudspeaker to introduce players or announce a made basket.
For the players, it’s another reminder of the privilege they have to make an impact as the next generation of role models for young women athletes.
“It’s super special that we can do that and have the little girls be out there learning new skills… It’s just really cool to see that and what’s super cool about our program… there’s lots of families here and there’s little kids that look up to us. It’s super cool because they are familiar faces to us so we do recognize the people that come to our games and we really appreciate it. Just super cool that we can do this game and lift women up,” senior forward Gabriela Jaquez said.
For Close, a day like Wednesday’s game reminds her of the role models in women’s sports that she was looking for growing up but couldn’t always find.
Advertisement
It also reminded her of all the programs and opportunities that exist now, and that UCLA is a part of, to give women more positions in the sports world as athletes, coaches, trainers, hosts and broadcasters.
“I wish I had women to look up to at that age that I could go and see,” Close said. “I am such a hoop head and I would watch as much basketball as my mom would let me, but there were no options to watch women and girls as I was growing up. It was all men’s basketball…. What a privilege when you can combine trying to master your craft and compete at the highest levels and inspire somebody else and impact a heart. How lucky are we?”
