UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: No. 1 for a Reason

In the latest episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, Madeleine Considine breaks down how the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins are heading back to the Sweet 16 and how junior guard Kiki Rice made sure it happened in style.

In front of an electric Pauley Pavilion crowd Sunday night, Rice poured in 23 points, including a career-high four 3-pointers, and dished out seven assists to help UCLA secure an 84-67 second-round win over No. 9-seed Richmond.

While junior center Lauren Betts dominated in the paint with 30 points and 14 rebounds, Rice’s poise, leadership and timely shooting helped spark a decisive second-half surge.

After the game, Rice was quick to credit the crowd for the energy that fueled the Bruins’ 29-point third quarter.

“That was definitely one of my favorite crowds that I played in front of at Pauley,” Rice said. “Just their energy and really how they carried us, especially in that third quarter, to bring us that extra boost. We really appreciated that.”

You can the episode below:

Despite it being spring break on campus, Rice acknowledged the significance of the turnout.

“It means so much to us for so many people to show up,” she said. “Obviously it’s LA, there’s so many other things to do. It’s a beautiful weekend. But people were here in the gym watching us, so that was really fun.”

After a slow first half that saw UCLA enter the break tied 36-36, Rice helped ignite the third-quarter explosion. She scored or assisted on multiple possessions, including a catch-and-shoot three that helped open the floodgates for a dominant run.

“I think just taking the shots when they're open,” she said. “I get a lot of catch-and-shoot threes, and I think just being ready to take those, knock them down, and shoot it with confidence. I work on it a lot. So I just got to continue to show it.”

For Rice, Sunday night’s poise under pressure was rooted in experience. She referenced last year’s NCAA Tournament second-round comeback against Creighton as a touchstone for UCLA’s mindset heading into halftime.

“I think a lot of us, we've been in this really similar position last year with Creighton,” Rice said. “I think we were down at halftime last year. So, this is something we're used to. And I think just coming out there and playing our game, making the adjustments we needed to make.”

She praised the team’s composure and unity during the halftime break.

“Our belief and our motivation never wavered, which is something I’m really proud of,” she added. “We were really positive in the locker room, continued to build each other up, tell each other what we needed from each other, and it worked.”

Turnovers have plagued the Bruins at times this season, but Rice was particularly proud of how the team took care of the ball against Richmond.

“That was something we were very proud of in the locker room,” she said. “We haven’t been happy with the amount of turnovers that we’ve had in the past few games. … We watched film on that yesterday, and we saw us turning the ball over, and we didn’t want that again.”

Now, with momentum and confidence building, the Bruins will travel to Spokane, Washington to face No. 5-seed Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

With Rice at the helm, they’ll be ready.

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