No. 12 Maryland women’s basketball bounced back on Thursday in the first game of its West Coast road trip. In most cases, the Terps would look to build momentum by sweeping the road trip in a monumental
part of the season.
But what Sunday brings is a tall task; a juggernaut. No. 3 UCLA.
Maryland’s toughest opponent on its schedule comes at an inopportune time, having suffered its first two losses in back-to-back weeks.
The Terps will look to upset the Bruins at 4 p.m. from Pauley Pavilion on NBC in the slot prior to Sunday’s NFC Divisional between the Bears and Rams.
No. 3 UCLA Bruins (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten)
2024-25 record: 34-3, 16-2 Big Ten
Head coach Cori Close is in her 15th season with the Bruins, boasting an overall record of 337-144. She most recently led the Bruins to the Big Ten championship and the Final Four last season. Most of that roster from last season returned this year.
Since joining the Big Ten, the Bruins have lost one home game — to then-No. 4 USC in the regular season finale last season.
This season, the Bruins have lost one game, a neutral site 11-point loss to No. 4 Texas in the Players Era Festival.
Simply put, it will be a tall order for the Terps to pull off a road upset over the team that beat them by 15 at home last season.
“It’s going to take a team, UCLA is ranked where they’re at for a good reason,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “They’ve got all five starters averaging in double figures. It’s going to take another collective team effort on both ends of the floor.”
Players to watch
Lauren Betts, senior center, 6-foot-7, No. 51 — Lauren Betts is one of, if not the best player in the country, and a shoe-in for a top-three selection in the upcoming WNBA Draft. Last season, she was National Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Associated Press First Team All-America, John R. Wooden Award All-American, 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year and took home many other honors. Against Maryland, she scored a career-high 33 points. This season, she’s averaging 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
“Maybe between now and then we can find someone 6-foot-7 to be able to guard Lauren [Betts],” Frese joked.
Kiki Rice, senior guard, 5-foot-11, No. 1 — Rice is in her fourth season with the Bruins and continues to be their primary guard. The Bethesda native averages 15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Last season, she was an AP All-America Honorable Mention, WBCA All-America Honorable Mention and Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Finalist. Rice remains one of the best guards in the nation on one of the best teams in the country.
Gianna Kneepkens, graduate guard, 6-foot-0, No. 8 — Kneepkens is in her first season with the Bruins after spending four seasons with Utah. Last season, she led Utah with 19.3 points, five rebounds and three assists per game. This season, she’s averaging 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. She’s an important additional piece to an already very talented team, and has carved out a productive role for a national championship contender.
Strength
Depth. UCLA has four players that average 13 or more points per game, and two others that average 9.6 and 8.7 points per game, respectively. Every player that UCLA will put on the court on Sunday is a threat. Lauren Betts has a little sister, Sienna, who has become a solid bench option since the start of Big Ten play. Gabriela Jaquez is also a talented guard and one of the best players in the nation, and is still arguably not one of the Bruins’ top three players. Last season, it was mostly Betts that dominated the Terps in College Park. That will likely not be the case again, as the Bruins are even more talented than they were a year ago.
Weakness
Beating top competition. UCLA’s lone loss of the season was to No. 4 Texas, and its best win is over No. 13 Oklahoma. It also has wins over No. 14 Ohio State — who beat Maryland by 13 last Sunday — and No. 20 Tennessee. However, the point still remains that the Terps are ranked higher than any team the Bruins have beat this season. In a road game where it seems like all odds are stacked against them, that is something the Terps can hold their hat on.
Three things to know
1. Who will guard Betts? As Frese mentioned, the Terps don’t have anyone 6-foot-7 to guard Lauren Betts. The best the Terps have is Marya Boiko, who is 6-foot-4 and was brought to Maryland for her size. Last season, Amari DeBerry, who is 6-foot-6, guarded her, and it didn’t work — she scored 33 points. But expect Frese to utilize Boiko as someone to somewhat contest Betts.
2. Are the Terps even more injured? The Terps have had 11 available players in Big Ten play after undergoing three season-ending injuries and Bri McDaniel opting to redshirt this season. On Thursday, Rainey Welson went down after a collision with Jazzy Davidson and did not return. If Welson can’t play, the Terps will have to go deeper in their bench to find production against UCLA.
3. What are Maryland’s chances? It’s obvious that UCLA is the clear favorite at home on Sunday. That being said, the Terps do have a chance to survive UCLA and sweep its West Coast road trip. A win could have huge implications on the remainder of the regular season.
