UCLA Women's Basketball Reveals Full 2022 Nonconference Schedule
Coach Cori Close and the Bruins have finalized their out-of-conference schedule for the upcoming season, and a trip to Columbia highlights the 12-game slate.
While the Pac-12 revealed the official conference pairings Thursday, UCLA women's basketball shared a look at their upcoming nonconference schedule Tuesday. Before heading into their second-to-last regular season against their Pac-12 foes, the Bruins will head east for a series of headlining events, namely an expanding preseason tournament and a road game against the defending NCAA champions.
South Carolina will play host to UCLA on Nov. 29. The Gamecocks and Bruins faced off once before back in 2015, with the blue and gold losing 68-65 at Pauley Pavilion, and now UCLA will have a chance to return the favor seven years later at Colonial Life Arena.
A trip to the Bahamas is the other high-profile event that UCLA will take part in during the 2022-23 nonconference season. The Bruins will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament from Nov. 19-21 against a group of teams that includes Gonzaga, Marquette, Rutgers, South Dakota State, Tennessee, Texas and Louisville.
UCLA will be guaranteed to play three games at Paradise Island before heading back to Westwood. The event began in 2011, but only added a women's bracket in 2021.
The rest of the Bruins’ nonconference action is a regular tune-up for the season ahead. UCLA begins the season hosting Cal Poly, UC Riverside and Troy on Nov. 7, Nov. 10 and Nov. 13 respectively.
Following Battle 4 Atlantis, Jackson State comes to Pauley Pavilion to square off against UCLA on Nov. 25. It will be the first time the two programs have gone against each other.
After returning from South Carolina, UCLA will face UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 3. The matchup against the Gauchos will be the second of the Bruins' two true nonconference road games, with the only other coming against the Gamecocks.
To wrap up nonconference play, UCLA will host a trio of in-state opponents. Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Bakersfield and Fresno State will visit Westwood on Dec. 10, Dec. 17 and Dec. 20 before the Bruins open proper Pac-12 play against Oregon on Dec. 29.
There was an early conference game squeezed into the nonconference schedule, too, though. UCLA will play USC at the Galen Center on Dec. 15, right in between the matchups with Fullerton and Bakersfield.
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