How Foundation, Standard Build Confidence for UCLA Women

The UCLA women's basketball team's confidence continues to rise after its latest Top 25 win, a 97-67 drubbing of No. 12 Maryland on Sunday.

The Bruins have ascended to the No. 3 ranking in the national poll, boasting a 17-1 record and holding the top spot in the Big Ten, which is home to seven top 25 teams by itself. The conference will continue to bring challenges as the season continues, but UCLA feels prepared for every hurdle because of its foundation.

"I think, in this program, we're built [on] and our foundation is [built] on effort plays and getting the extra possession," guard Gianna Kneepkens said after the win. "Because when two great teams are competing, it's those plays that make you take the lead or make you get the extra rebound when you miss a few shots."

Foundation and Leadership Drive Success

It's that foundation and effort that makes UCLA so difficult to beat. The Bruins have played eight top-25 matchups this season and hold a 7-1 record in those games, only losing to No. 4 Texas in a top-5 battle. Since then, they've rattled off 11 wins in a row, and now the challenge has become adding their new-found confidence to that solid foundation to turn a great team into a truly elite one.

UCLA standar — Dec 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (5) battles Long Beach State Beach center Haley Wright (33) and guard Brynna Pukis (32) for a loose ball during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"When you're part of such a great team, it can be easy to get complacent, and it can be easy to come in and not fight for every possession, not fight for your stance on defense, and just go through the motions, " guard Charlisse Leger-Walker said. "That's something that our coaches do a really good job of holding our standard in that way. ... We're a veteran group. We have a lot of experience and a lot of leadership."

Having those things makes it easy to turn a team into a contender. The foundation sets the stage, standard, and expectation for each performance, whether it's the bright lights of a game or the tamer atmosphere of a mundane practice, while the veteran leadership helps the team rise above when adversity hits.

"I think we know what it takes, and we know that every possession we have now, we're not just preparing for the game ahead, but we're preparing for the end of March," Leger-Walker added. "We're preparing for the next top-25 team that we have to play."

Big Ten Competitiveness

As of the most recent poll, there are four more top-25 teams UCLA will face in Big Ten play between now and the end of the regualr season in mid-March. In a conference that has as many as seven teams vying to take the title, scoreboard watching and keeping tabs on other teams will be hard to avoid, but the Bruins remain focused on the standard and foundation that has been established.

"You can't think too far ahead," Leger-Walker continued. "You have to focus on that play that you have, but, at the same time at the back of your mind, you always know that we have our own standard that we're playing to, and you can't let anyone come into our gym or any opposing team change that."

As the challenges come, head coach Cori Close has not been afraid to stretch her team's capabilities. She's doing everything she can to help them achieve their goals on the court, and her confidence in them is helping them grow into the team she wants to build -- detail-oriented with elite instincts and top-tier execution.

"It's all the little plays, the little adjustments, the litte reads that come with experience and come with the kind of maturity that we have across the board," Close said. "I've done some things the last couple of weeks in games that we've never done before. ... I think it just speaks to my confidence in their abiltiy to read and see the game. I want to empower them that we can do that."

It's clear that the Bruins know they have a talented team, and if Sunday's game proved anything, it's that they'll do whatever it takes to get to the top, no matter who the opponent is across the way. Their confidence comes with great intentions, but it's the foundation and the standard to which they hold themselves that ultimately makes them such a great team.

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