UCLA Nears Straight-A Grades in Win Over Purdue

UCLA would take on the Boilermakers and win in a lopsided fashion, off a few standout performances.

UCLA would blow past Purdue 96-48 in a game that was uneven from the start. With UCLA beating Purdue, this marks the second time in two days that a UCLA team has been able overtake the Boilermakers. With that being said, let's dish out some grades.

Charlisse Leger-Walker had another great showing, and it has become apparent that UCLA can rely on her shooing moving forward. While UCLA did not necessarily need it here, in the future against better teams they will greatly look forward to Leger-Walker going 5-7 from three.

The only reason she earns an A- here is because it would not be fair to the other performances on this list. If this performance was stand-alone, this is an easy A. But for that reason, she earns an A-.

This was a very good game for Kiki Rice, scoring and rebounding. While she did not shoot efficiently in this one, she still proved to be a very dangerous rebounding threat from the perimeter. Because of her efforts on the glass, UCLA now ranks 13th in the nation in rebounding, averaging 43.7 per game.

If it wasn't for her spotty shoot and two turnovers this performance could have easily earned and A+ or even higher. However, those issues were simply to large to ignore, so an A here feels right. Still a very good game, hopefully she can keep this up.

Not a bad game from Gianna Kneepkens, but overall, this performance feels pretty mundane. We know what she is capable of on the glass as well as facilitating, so to see her put up just two assists and one rebound is a little out of character for her.

She earns a B here, marking the lowest grade on the list. This is not a slight against Kneepkens, as she is very talented and shows up in the big moments. In a 48-point blowout, Kneepkens did not need to do much. She was also the only starter to not record three-plus steals.

After a mid-season slump, it appears Gabriela Jaquez is back to being UCLA's top scorer. This 25-point performance marks two games in a row where she has scored 20-plus. In her last two games, she is shooting 83.9% from the field and 83.3% from three. Excellent.

She earns the coveted A++ because of how efficient she was in this one. 10-11 is a sign that she is doing something right, now it is a matter if she can do it consistently, which is more possible than the latter. Great game overall, hardly any complaints can be said without being greedy.

Lauren Betts had a very solid game. Time and time again, she has proven to be one of the best players in all of college basketball, and it showed in this one. Purdue simply did not have an answer for her throughout this one, and if she had gotten a few more minutes, she could have torn the roof off.

If only there were a grade in between an A and an A+, because that is what this performance deserves. By no means was this performance bad; however, we know how good Lauren Betts is, and anything under 20 points for her simply does not earn a high grade. Still a very good outing.

Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close talks with guard Kiki Rice (1), guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (5) and guard Gianna Kneepkens (8) in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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