EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 2 UCLA (24-1,14-0) took down No. 13 Michigan State (20-5, 9-5) 86-63 Wednesday night for yet another conference and Top 25 victory and they did so in dominating fashion.
UCLA head coach Cori Close stressed ahead of the Bruins’ Michigan road trip that they would need to win the paint battles to outmatch their tough opponents and they did just that against the Spartans.
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The Bruins had a staggering 56 points in the paint on Wednesday along with 48 rebounds to the Spartans’ 28, led by outstanding performances by senior center Lauren Betts with 22 points, seven rounds and five assists and senior guard Kiki Rice with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
“When you don’t allow teams to find advantages and force rotations, you’re going to have the advantage on the box-outs as well,” Close said of UCLA’s rebounding effort (via UCLA Athletics). “That is what you saw.”
Preparing for hostile territory
Facing both Michigan and Michigan State in back-to-back games looked to be the toughest challenge yet for the Bruins and a true preview for what the eventual NCAA tournament will pose. While the Wolverines posed a challenge that went down to the wire, the Spartans were closer to the blowouts that UCLA has grown used to serving out. Still, handling their opponents on the road in hostile fan environments is a great test for a Bruins team that looks to be on the fast track to greatness.
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“We talked a lot before this trip about there are going to be Elite Eight, Sweet Sixteen type games and road environments,” Rice said. “Being ready to play in those environments and handle good teams on a short turnaround, just really be prepared to make adjustments and have the mental fortitude to play in tough games.”
What the Bruins still need to fix
Even though UCLA took down one of the toughest opponents in the country by over 20 points, there is still room for improvement.
One of Close’s biggest points of emphasis for both the game against Michigan State and for the season in general has been to take care of the ball, and that’s something the Bruins fell short of on Wednesday.
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The Bruins turned the ball over 18 times compared to just 10 turnovers by the Spartans and those 18 turnovers translated into 19 points for Michigan State. Several sloppy passes or missed looks were the culprits behind those turnovers and if there has to be any flaws in UCLA’s game, mishandling the ball certainly stands out.
UCLA averages 13 turnovers per game and it’s been the problem that’s nagged at Close the most.
“I trust their work ethic, they see it just like I see it and we haven’t been able to turn it in that area specifically in taking care of the ball,” Close said. “I think that it tells me that in that area they haven’t had the maturity to change it. So, I’m going to have to be a little bit more aggressive to do so.”
