How UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez keeps getting better

LOS ANGELES – Looking at the 2025-26 UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team, one may find it surprising that the team looks even better this year than they did last season, when they went undefeated for most of the season and secured the first trip to the Final Four in program history.

Players new and returning have shown an explosion of growth and no one in the blue and gold is a better example of that growth than senior Gabriela Jaquez.

Advertisement

Jaquez has been with the program since her freshman year, learning under the tutelage of head coach Cori Close. At 5’11, she came into the program as an undersized forward who showed a fearlessness in crashing into the paint and making herself present in impact plays.

In four years, that mentality has never changed, but she’s instead added more and more skills to her arsenal that have made her one of the biggest threats the Bruins have.

Robert Talamantes- The Sporting Tribune

UCLA G Gabriela Jaquez (11) scores a fast break layup during an NCAA basketball game against the Michigan Wolverans, Wednesday January 1st, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Advertisement

“She’s increased her scoring, her shooting, all of the other things. But, none of that means as much to us as her warrior’s spirit and competitive nature,” Close said of Jaquez. “The toughness that she brings to us, the desire to win and she just has a level of pride about what it means to put on that jersey every day.”

The shooting is what’s so far stood out the most and those skills were on full display in the Bruins’ dominant win over Tennessee on Nov. 30. Jaquez rained down three pointers in her most efficient shooting performance of the season, scoring a game-high 29 points, one shy of her career-high.

When asked how she made this offensive transformation, Jaquez credits the work she’s put in over the offseason and the guidance her coaches have given her.

This past offseason seemed to be an especially productive one and it’s led to her a career-best season in shooting efficiency both beyond the arc and from the field as a whole as well as career-best marks in all major stats.

Ric Tapia – The Sporting Tribune

Advertisement

Gabriela Jaquez #11 of the UCLA Bruins and Talia von Oelhoffen #55 of the USC Trojans rebound the ball during the first half at Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

“Something happened over the summer, something just clicked in my head of where I want my shooting pocket to be and how I like it to feel and I think that’s the difference right there. But, it starts with a lot of reps and I just really appreciate all of the coaches, support staff, scout guys that come in and really rebound constantly, give me good passes so I can work on. I think something just kind of clicked with how I want it to feel,” Jaquez said.

Jaquez’s talents certainly don’t stop at her newfound shooting prowess.

Not only is she able to find good looks to put a shot off, she moves in on the hoop to grab rebounds despite the height disadvantage she often finds herself in and she’s established herself as an elite passer. Jaquez’s knack for finding the ball in her hands leads directly into a similar knack for moving the ball to her teammates like senior Lauren Betts, setting up her center for shots despite the double or triple teams Betts typically finds herself surrounded by.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Advertisement

UCLA Bruins guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) shooting a three-pointer during a Big 10 basketball game against Minnesota, Sunday February 2nd, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

“Knowing that we need to pass well on this team and I need to make good passes to my teammates so I can set them up the best way possible for them to score…I just take a lot of pride in that because I want to set them up for success.” Jaquez said.

A basketball warrior

When Close describes Jaquez, the word that comes up the most often is “warrior.” Throughout all the additions she’s made to her skills, Jaquez’s toughness and her hustle mentality has always remained. She finds ways to involve herself in just about every play and the versatility of her skillset means that she can make it hurt from anywhere on the court in any facet of the game.

Advertisement

“The thing that doesn’t show up as much [in statistics] is: When you think about the most pressurized moments and you trace back, Gabs [Jaquez] always shows up. She’s very comfortable in the pressure. She knows how to play with poise and calm and knows exactly what the team needs from her in those moments. That’s a basketball IQ, competitive greatness quality that I think just brings the skill work even to another level. But, the reality is, she just puts a ton of time in the gym,” Close said.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) driving into the lane during a Big 10 basketball game against SDSU, Monday, November 3rd, 2025 in Anaheim, California

Advertisement

Jaquez’s future

Jaquez’s efforts were recognized with a Big Ten Player of the Week selection on Monday, the first selection of her career, but she could have a different kind of selection coming her way once her senior season comes to a close: a WNBA draft selection.

The way Jaquez has broken out this season has seen her stock rise dramatically and she now profiles as a first-round pick in the 2026 draft.

“I’m definitely getting a lot of calls. I think that she’s going to have opportunities,” Close said of Jaquez. “There’s a lot of players in the WNBA you can talk about that are the glues to their teams. I think about the Thorntons [Kayla Thornton] on the [Golden State] Valkyries… I think it’s Bridget Carlton for the [Minnesota] Lynx. There’s some really good blueprints for how to make a long career for yourself playing that way in the league. I think what Gabs has proven is she finds a way to help teams win and she’s better every year. What WNBA team doesn’t want that?”