2022–23 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team

The 2022–23 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins were led by twelfth-year head coach Cori Close. They played their home games at Pauley Pavilion and competed as members of the Pac-12 Conference.

2022–23 UCLA Bruins women's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 13
APNo. 14
Record27–10 (11–7 Pac-12)
Head coach
Associate head coachShannon Perry-LeBeauf
Assistant coaches
  • Tasha Brown
  • Tony Newnan
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
(Capacity: 13,800)
Seasons
2022–23 Pac-12 Conference women's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 8 Utah153 .833275 .844
No. 5 Stanford153 .833296 .829
No. 21 Colorado135 .722259 .735
No. 14 UCLA117 .6112710 .730
No. 25 Arizona117 .6112210 .688
USC117 .6112110 .677
No. 23 Washington State99 .5002311 .676
Oregon711 .3892015 .571
Washington711 .3891915 .559
California414 .2221317 .433
Oregon State414 .2221318 .419
Arizona State117 .056820 .286
2023 Pac-12 Tournament winner
As of July 3, 2024
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Bruins finished the previous season 18–13, 8–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in seventh place. As the seventh seed in the Pac-12 women's tournament, they defeated their crosstown rivals USC before losing to Oregon in the quarterfinals. The Bruins were invited to the WNIT as the automatic qualifier for the Pac-12 Conference. It was the Bruins' first WNIT appearance since 2015, when they were WNIT champions. They advanced to the tournament's semifinals, where they lost to South Dakota State.

Offseason

Departures

Due to COVID-19 disruptions throughout NCAA sports in 2020–21, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any individual involved in an NCAA winter sport, including women's basketball. This meant that all seniors in 2020–21 had the option to return for 2021–22.

UCLA Departures
NameNum.Pos.HeightYearHometownReason for departure
Chantel Horvat0G6'2"RS SeniorGeelong, AustraliaGraduated
Kayla Owens1G6'1"RS SeniorHouston, TXGraduated
Kiara Jefferson3G5'9"SeniorSacramento, CAGraduated
Natalie Chou23G6'1"Graduate StudentPlano, TXGraduated
IImar'I Thomas24F5'10"Graduate StudentOakland, CAGraduated
Jaelynn Penn31G5'10"Graduate StudentLouisville, KYGraduated
Eliana Sigal51G5'10"SeniorIrvine, CAWalk-on; graduated

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Kiki Rice
PG
Washington, DCSidwell Friends School5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)N/A 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 98
Gabriela Jaquez
F
Camarillo, CAAdolfo Camarillo6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)N/A 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 96
Londynn Jones
PG
Riverside, CASantiago High School5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)N/A 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 95
Christeen Iwuala
P
San Antonio, TXRonald Reagan High School6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)N/A 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2022 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022.

Recruiting class of 2023

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Amanda Muse
P
Brentwood, CAHeritage High School6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)N/A 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2022–23 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G1Kiki Rice5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)FrSidwell FriendsBethesda, MD
G3Londynn Jones5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)FrCentennialRiverside, CA
F5Brynn Masikewich6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)SrLincoln PrepCalgary, AB
G10Gina Conti5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)GSGrove City High
Wake Forest
Grove City, OH
F11Emily Bessoir6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)RS SoWilhelm-Hausenstein GymnasiumMunich, Germany
G20Charisma Osborne5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)SrWindward SchoolMoreno Valley, CA
F21Lina Sontag6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)FrSchadow-GymnasiumKleinmachnow, Germany
F22Christeen Iwuala6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)FrRonald ReaganSan Antonio, TX
F23Gabriela Jaquez5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)FrCamarilloCamarillo, CA
F32Angela Dugalić  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)RS SoMaine West
Oregon
Des Plaines, IL
G35Camryn Brown5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)SrPrestonwood ChristianLewisville, TX
F43Izzy Anstey6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)RS SoCaulfieldMelbourne, Australia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
November 7, 2022*
5:30 p.m.
Cal PolyW 84–48 1–0
 20  Osborne  9  Tied  7  Rice Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
November 10, 2022*
11:30 a.m.
UC RiversideW 64–43 2–0
 16  Bessoir  13  Osborne  5  Rice Pauley Pavilion (3,918)
Los Angeles, CA
November 13, 2022*
2:00 p.m., P12N
TroyW 95–83 3–0
 29  Osborne  10  Osborne  5  Rice Pauley Pavilion (2,248)
Los Angeles, CA
November 19, 2022*
11:30 a.m., FloSports
vs. South Dakota State
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals
W 72–65 4–0
 28  Osborne  10  Brown  5  Conti Imperial Arena (235)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 20, 2022*
9:00 a.m., FloSports
vs. No. 11 Tennessee
Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals
W 80–63 5–0
 23  Osborne  7  Sontag  6  Rice Imperial Arena (247)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 21, 2022*
9:00 a.m., ESPN2
No. 20 vs. Marquette
Battle 4 Atlantis championship
W 66–58 OT6–0
 18  Rice  9  Bessoir  6  Osborne Imperial Arena (572)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 25, 2022*
2:00 p.m.
No. 20 Jackson StateW 72–60 7–0
 20  Osborne  8  Sontag  6  Conti Pauley Pavilion (2,455)
Los Angeles, CA
November 29, 2022*
4:00 p.m., SECN
No. 15 at No. 1 South CarolinaL 64–73 7–1
 24  Osborne  8  Bessoir  3  Conti Colonial Life Arena (12,501)
Columbia, SC
December 3, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 15 at UC Santa BarbaraW 68–57 8–1
 19  Osborne  8  Rice  4  Tied The Thunderdome (2,237)
Santa Barbara, CA
December 10, 2022*
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 13 Cal State FullertonW 64–41 9–1
 14  Rice  9  Conti  5  Conti Pauley Pavilion (2,480)
Los Angeles, CA
December 15, 2022
7:00 p.m., P12N
No. 10 at USC
Rivalry
W 59–56 10–1
(1–0)
 16  Bessoir  13  Osborne  6  Conti Galen Center (3,109)
Los Angeles, CA
December 17, 2022*
2:00 p.m.
No. 10 Cal State BakersfieldW 75–47 11–1
 12  Tied  8  Bessoir  8  Conti Pauley Pavilion (2,473)
Los Angeles, CA
December 20, 2022*
7:00 p.m., P12N
No. 11 Fresno StateW 82–48 12–1
 16  Osborne  6  Tied  5  Conti Pauley Pavilion (2,163)
Los Angeles, CA
December 30, 2022
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 10 at No. 17 OregonW 82–74 13–1
(2–0)
 21  Rice  6  Tied  7  Rice Matthew Knight Arena (6,726)
Eugene, OR
January 1, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
No. 10 at Oregon StateL 72–77 13–2
(2–1)
 20  Rice  7  Bessoir  6  Conti Gill Coliseum (3,546)
Corvallis, OR
January 8, 2023
2:00 p.m., P12N
No. 12 USC
Rivalry
W 61–60 14–2
(3–1)
 22  Jones  7  Osborne  4  Osborne Pauley Pavilion (6,638)
Los Angeles, CA
January 13, 2023
8:00 p.m., P12N
No. 8 No. 2 StanfordL 59–72 14–3
(3–2)
 13  Tied  7  Osborne  3  Tied Pauley Pavilion (6,855)
Los Angeles, CA
January 15, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
No. 8 CaliforniaW 87–70 15–3
(4–2)
 18  Jones  8  Rice  12  Rice Pauley Pavilion (4,317)
Los Angeles, CA
January 20, 2023
7:00 p.m., P12N
No. 9 at WashingtonW 51–47 16–3
(5–2)
 12  Tied  8  Sontag  2  Osborne Alaska Airlines Arena (2,265)
Seattle, WA
January 22, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
No. 9 at Washington StateW 73–66 17–3
(6–2)
 13  Tied  7  Bessoir  4  Jones Beasley Coliseum (986)
Pullman, WA
January 27, 2023
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 8 at No. 25 ColoradoL 70–73 OT17–4
(6–3)
 14  Jones  8  Brown  5  Conti CU Events Center (2,227)
Boulder, CO
January 29, 2023
11:00 a.m., P12N
No. 8 at No. 9 UtahL 69–71 17–5
(6–4)
 17  Bessoir  6  Bessoir  5  Tied Jon M. Huntsman Center (3,211)
Salt Lake City, UT
February 3, 2023
8:00 p.m., P12N
No. 14 No. 22 ArizonaL 66–71 OT17–6
(6–5)
 20  Jones  9  Rice  5  Rice Pauley Pavilion (3,482)
Los Angeles, CA
February 5, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
No. 14 Arizona StateW 82–63 18–6
(7–5)
 23  Osborne  7  Bessoir  8  Conti Pauley Pavilion (3,462)
Los Angeles, CA
February 10, 2023
5:00 p.m., P12N
No. 18 Oregon StateW 62–54 19–6
(8–5)
 14  Jaquez  10  Osborne  4  Sontag Pauley Pavilion (2,935)
Los Angeles, CA
February 12, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
No. 18 OregonW 67–57 20–6
(9–5)
 20  Bessoir  6  Tied  6  Osborne Pauley Pavilion (3,629)
Los Angeles, CA
February 17, 2023
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 16 at CaliforniaW 67–54 21–6
(10–5)
 19  Jones  10  Osborne  3  Tied Haas Pavilion (1,606)
Berkeley, CA
February 20, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 17 at No. 3 StanfordL 66–71 21–7
(10–6)
 14  Jones  7  Osborne  6  Osborne Maples Pavilion (5,813)
Stanford, CA
February 23, 2023
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 17 Washington StateL 55–62 21–8
(10–7)
 14  Osborne  8  Tied  2  Tied Pauley Pavilion (2,825)
Los Angeles, CA
February 25, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
No. 17 WashingtonW 70–62 22–8
(11–7)
 19  Osborne  6  Osborne  3  Jones Pauley Pavilion (4,375)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Women's Tournament
March 1, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
(5) No. 19 vs. (12) Arizona State
First round
W 81–70 OT23–8
 17  Bessoir  9  Bessoir  6  Rice Michelob Ultra Arena (3,292)
Paradise, NV
March 2, 2023
12:00 p.m., P12N
(5) No. 19 vs. (4) No. 21 Arizona
Quarterfinals
W 73–59 24–8
 18  Tied  13  Bessoir  7  Rice Michelob Ultra Arena (4,245)
Paradise, NV
March 3, 2023
6:00 p.m., P12N
(5) No. 19 vs. (1) No. 6 Stanford
Semifinals
W 69–65 25–8
 22  Rice  6  Bessoir  5  Rice Michelob Ultra Arena 
Paradise, NV
March 5, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN2
(5) No. 19 vs. (7) Washington State
Final
L 61–65 25–9
 19  Osborne  5  Tied  3  Tied Michelob Ultra Arena (5,032)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2023*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2
(4 G1) No. 14 (13 G1) Sacramento State
First Round
W 67–45 26–9
 15  Rice  12  Osborne  5  Osborne Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
March 20, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
(4 G1) No. 14 (5 G1) No. 16 Oklahoma
Second Round
W 82–73 27–9
 36  Osborne  8  Osborne  5  Conti Pauley Pavilion (3,872)
Los Angeles, CA
March 25, 2023*
11:00 a.m., ESPN
(4 G1) No. 14 vs. (1 G1) No. 1 South Carolina
Sweet Sixteen
L 43–59 27–10
 14  Osborne  7  Osborne  2  Osborne Bon Secours Wellness Arena 
Greenville, SC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
G1=Greenville 1.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Source:[1]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRV*RV2015131011101289814181617191714Not released
CoachesRVRV*RV^211715141413151413131617161616171513

*The preseason and week 1 polls were the same.
^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll.

Awards and honors

  • February 20 – Londynn Jones named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week[2]

All Pac-12 Conference honors

  • Charisma Osborne (All Pac-12)
  • Londynn Jones(All Freshman Team)
  • Kiki Rice(All Freshman Team)

Pac-12 All-Tournament team

  • Emily Bessoir (11 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast)
  • Charisma Osborne (19 pts, 6-7 FT, 3 ast)
  • Kiki Rice (13 pts, 3 reb)

Notes

References