Los Angeles – Angela Dugalic’s season-high 22 points, off the bench, paced No. 2 UCLA past No. 8 Iowa, 88-65, for their 15th straight win Sunday.
Four other Bruins scored in double figures including Kiki Rice with 17, and Lauren Betts, who put up 16. The Hawkeyes, who were upset by USC three days earlier, were lead by Ava Heiden, who had 19 points.
UCLA shot 57.3 percent from the field, while responding to every Iowa run with shutdown defense. The visitors lead briefly to begin the matchup, but fell behind by double digits for good in the first quarter. Iowa got as close as 13 points behind midway through the last frame, but a 14-4 Bruin response put them out of reach for good.
Coming off of a Final Four run last year, UCLA has spent this season ranked in the top 4, thanks to their deep roster of veterans. Each week – especially during Big 10 play – a different player has stepped up to be the top scorer. Dugalic said having so many options makes the team a threat.
“We’re still finding the right balance of post presence versus guard presence, because every night it can be anyone’s night,” she said.
Betts pointed to the willingness of both coaches and players to be honest with one another and provide constructive criticism, when necessary.
“They all work to make each other better,” coach Cori Close said. “You can never feel like you’ve arrived at your standard.”
Hawkeye coach Jan Jensen said she wasn’t happy with the two losses, nor with losing starter Taylor McCabe for the season to injury last week. But with a young squad, she has perspective.
“I think we played two really good teams (this week), played without one of our best players, played a lot of young kids, and are playing a team that could contend for the national title,” Jensen said. “We’ve got to get better.”
Close said that while she’s happy with her team’s growth, they are not close to where they want to be yet.
“The edge is a really good place (to live),” Close said. “It’s when you’re forced to develop the discipline and skill that it really takes to be successful. I want our team to live on that edge every day. That’s my job, is to not let them just play with their talent.”
The Bruins host Rutgers Wednesday.