Top 3 UCLA Takeaways From Women’s Triumph Over Rutgers

UCLA would have its way against Rutgers winning 86-46.

The Bruins entering this game were projected to win by a very large amount, and they did just that. The same went for the Men's team, which also won its matchup 98-66. Meaning UCLA in the last two days has outscored Rutgers by 76 points. Not bad.

Sienna Betts Found Her Grove

Sienna Betts has been able to play at least 20-minutes in the Bruins last three games. This is largely in part to how well she is rebounding the ball, with 5.6 boards per game in that span. Looking ahead, it is clear that Cori Close trusts Sienna to play extended minutes night in and night out.

In the last three games, she has also been able to average 9.3 points per game while shooting 62.8% from the field. Overall, Sienna Betts is playing at a very high level, especially given the circumstances she came in with. A freshman coming off an injury, while performing at this level, is impressive.

Kiki Rice is the 1B

Entering the season, it was expected that Kiki Rice would take the leap. And while she struggled to do so at first, she has really turned that narrative around. This is no slight to Rice. Consistently making an impact on a team this deep is no easy task.

Against Rutgers she put up 17 points on 6-10 shooting, along with seven rebounds. While Lauren Betts has proven to be the best overall player on UCLA, Rice is not that far behind impact-wise. If Rice can carry this momentum into March, UCLA will be in very good shape.

Gianna Kneepkens is Entering a Slump

Not a jab at Gianna Kneepkens whatsoever. A 50/40/90 shooter is something that does not come around very often, especially in College Basketball. But in the last three games, Kneepkens is averaging 8.6 points, well below her 13.5 season average.

Her talent is not the issue. Like Rice earlier this season she having trouble sticking out in a very deep UCLA roster. Still, we need to see more from Kneepkens with the Big Ten tournament looming. Her impact will be severly needed to round out the season.

Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Katie Gearlds and UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close shake hands after the game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Bruins played a very solid game overall. While the starters numbers were down across the board, besides a few outliers. It was much needed as the Bruins bench players were able to get in some very good reps.

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