SPOKANE, Wash. — When UCLA signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2022, the program-changing prospects immediately flashed their potential by leading the Bruins to the Sweet 16. Opposing coaches were impressed, telling UCLA coach Cori Close that the freshmen would be so good “one day.”
Internally, Gabriela Jaquez squirmed each time she heard the praise.
“I’m just like, ‘I don’t care, I want to be good now,’” the UCLA junior guard said this week. “Why do we have to wait?”
The wait is over.
UCLA’s once-vaunted freshman class has come of age, arriving in the Elite Eight as juniors after leading the Bruins to a 76-62 win over No. 5 seed Mississippi in the Regional 1 semifinal Friday at Spokane Arena.
In their third consecutive Sweet 16, the Bruins (33-2) finally pushed forward to a regional final for the first time since 2018 and will play for the regional crown Sunday against No. 3 seed Louisiana State at noon (ABC). The Tigers, who knocked off the Bruins in the Sweet 16 last season, took down No. 2 seed North Carolina State 80-73 on Friday.
Lauren Betts, a transfer addition to the talented junior class, was unstoppable with 31 points on 15-for-16 shooting with 10 rebounds as the Bruins shot a season-best 60% from the field.
Junior guard Kiki Rice, who was the No. 2-rated prospect in her high school class behind only Betts, had 13 points and seven assists. After being held scoreless from the field in the first half, Rice hit a key three-pointer early in the third quarter that capped an 8-0 run for the Bruins. The Rebels, who trailed by just one at halftime, never got the lead down to single digits after junior Londynn Jones hit a three-pointer to put the Bruins up by 12 with 6:07 to go.
Betts was the first person from UCLA’s bench to celebrate on the court, running toward her teammates after the final buzzer with her arms outstretched for a group hug. But the celebration for UCLA’s third Elite Eight appearance in program history felt muted considering the gravity of the moment. The team assembled into the handshake line, and Betts and Rice spent several minutes signing autographs and taking selfies with fans who lined the tunnel.
“We all expected to be here,” Rice said. “We’re obviously glad we have the opportunity to play again and play on Sunday, but we expected to be in this position.”
Rice, Jones and Jaquez were the core of UCLA’s second top-ranked recruiting class, and the group has continued to transcend through key transfers.
None was bigger than Betts. The Stanford transfer has averaged 30.5 points and 12 rebounds in the last two games, making 29 of 33 shots.
UCLA lost forward Lina Sontag from the original class of recruits last spring, and Christeen Iwuala transferred to Mississippi and scored seven points with nine rebounds against her former team. But Close brought in transfers Janiah Barker and Timea Gardiner, the No. 3 and No. 6 prospects, respectively, in the 2022 HoopGurlz recruiting rankings.
UCLA forward Janiah Barker grabs a rebound over teammates Lauren Betts, left, and Gabriela Jaquez in the first half.
Three years after the group assembled, UCLA has four of the top six players in the class and six of the top 22.
“It’s just been cool to see the growth, especially me, Londynn and Kiki being freshmen together,” Jaquez said this week. “We were always confident in ourselves and we didn’t want to be good when we were older, we want to be good now, but I think we’ve just grown so much and I think the experience has been a really crucial part of that.”
For two consecutive seasons, the top prospects were left licking their wounds from Sweet 16 exits. Although they hoped to push the program to historic heights immediately, the patience and grace they learned through the early adversity made Friday’s breakthrough more meaningful.
“Two times already before they’ve got to the Sweet 16, and they lost,” graduate student Angela Dugalic said. “They know exactly the feeling, and I think two times is enough for them, but they’ve just handled everything with such grace, and knew that if they put in the work and had a lot of patience, that they could go far.”
Sunday will be a test of just how much the former No. 1 recruiting class has grown. A rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 has turned into UCLA’s chance to make its first Final Four.
“We came here to make this program and continue to help us get better and to get to the Elite Eight, to get to the Final Four, to win a national championship,” Rice said. “To know that we’re taking the steps in the right direction, it means a lot to us.”
