EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 2 UCLA (24-1, 14-0) defeated No. 13 Michigan State (20-5, 9-5) 86-63 on Wednesday night for another conference and Top 25 win, and they did it in dominant fashion.
UCLA head coach Corey Close stressed before the Bruins’ road trip to Michigan that they need to win paint battles to beat tough opponents, and they did just that against the Spartans.
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On Wednesday, the Bruins scored an astonishing 56 points and 48 rebounds in the paint, while the Spartans only had 28 points. Senior center Lauren Betts had an outstanding performance with 22 points and 5 assists in 7 rounds, and senior guard Kiki Rice had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
“When you don’t allow teams to find an advantage and force rotations, you also get an advantage in the paint,” Close said of UCLA’s rebounding prowess (via UCLA Athletics ). “This is what you see.”
Prepare for hostile territory
Facing Michigan and Michigan State back-to-back appears to be the toughest challenge yet for the Bruins and a true preview of the eventual NCAA Tournament. While the Wolverines mounted a late challenge, the Spartans got closer to the blowout UCLA had grown accustomed to. Still, playing on the road against an opponent in a hostile fan environment will be a huge test for a Bruins team that looks to be on the fast track to greatness.
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“We talked a lot before this trip about how there was going to be an Elite Eight, Sweet Sixteen type of game and a road environment,” Rice said. “Being prepared to play in an environment like this and play good teams in a short period of time, really be ready to adjust and have the mental fortitude to play in tough games.”
What else do the Bruins need to fix?
Although UCLA defeated one of the toughest opponents in the country by more than 20 points, there is still room for improvement.
One of Close’s biggest focuses against Michigan State and throughout the season has been taking care of the ball, and that’s something the Bruins were lacking on Wednesday.
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The Bruins had 18 turnovers to the Spartans’ 10, and those 18 turnovers led to 19 points for MSU. A few sloppy passes or turnovers were to blame for those turnovers, and if there were any flaws in UCLA’s game, mishandling the ball was certainly the most prominent.
UCLA averages 13 turnovers per game, which is what bothers Close the most.
“I believe in their work ethic and they saw what I saw and we weren’t able to do that in this area especially with the ball,” Close said. “I think that tells me that in this area, they’re not mature enough to change it. So, I have to take a more aggressive approach to do that.”
