LOS ANGELES - Pauley Pavilion may have been a “neutral “ site for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, but on Friday night, it was anything but.
Pauley Pavilion was rocking as UCLA put together a whole team effort to bounce the Southern University Jaguars from the first round of the NCAA tournament with a massive 84-46 victory Friday, March 21.
Southern was making a strong defensive effort in the face of the overwhelming force that is UCLA. The Jaguars’ effort was valiant, just not successful. As the first quarter drew to a close the Bruins held a healthy lead 23-11.
The Bruins’ depth served them. All but one Bruin put points on the board in the game, and six players put up double digit numbers scoring.
“There aren’t many teams that have that variability in terms of people who can… be threats offensively,“ UCLA junior guard Kiki Rice said. “That’s one of our strengths.”
UCLA junior center Lauren Betts led UCLA offensively, scoring 14 while netting six rebounds and four assists.
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
UCLA forward Janiah Barker (0) blocking the jump shot during an NCAA women's basketball game against Southern University, Friday March 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif
Junior forward Janiah Barker was another powerhouse for the Bruins in the game. Barker double-doubled, scoring 10 while also pulling down 10 boards.
“My confidence is at an all-time high, always,” Barker said. “When you’re out on the basketball court having a fun time, that’s the best.”
Despite the strong first from UCLA, Southern wasn’t ready to lie down yet.
They matched the Bruins in scoring with 15 points each in the second, the most points in a quarter all game for the Jaguars while the least points for the Bruins. Every shot seemed to be falling for the Bruins in the second.
Southern closed out the second quarter with a 10-2 run, and despite starting to chop the Bruins lead down, UCLA still went into the half ahead 38-26.
Southern was taking far more shots than UCLA was at the half, but was sinking far less of them. The Jaguars shot just 36% from the field in the first half, compared to 62% by the Bruins.
UCLA stepped up the intensity as the second half opened, not letting the Jaguars carry on the momentum they closed out the first with. UCLA had seven blocks the whole game, and four of them came in the third period.
“I love how we responded in the third quarter defensively,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said. “That’s really where we’ve got to have urgency all the time… no matter what the game plan is, be counted on to do your job.”
The Jaguars took nearly five minutes to score in the third quarter, doing so with a jumper by senior guard Aniya Gourdine. In the meantime, the Bruins surged, opening the half with a 9-0 run.
The Bruins finished the third quarter on a high-note: UCLA junior forward Timea Gardiner pulled up and swished a three-pointer from the top-left corner of the arc to add to the UCLA advantage 59-33 as the last seconds of the quarter ran down.
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
UCLA forward Timea Gardiner (30) celebrates after making a three pointer during an NCAA women's basketball game against Southern University, Friday March 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif
UCLA junior guard Londynn Jones came alive in the second half for the Bruins, scoring seven of her 11 points in the second. Jones, normally a near-exclusive three-point sniper, got more done inside the arc in the game than she did outside it, with four of her five field goals in the game good as two-pointers.
The Bruins kept up the gas through the fourth quarter, even though they had built more than a comfortable lead. The Bruins scored 25 in the fourth, the most they’d scored out of any quarter in the game. That strong finish carried the Bruins through to a massive 84-46 victory in the first round of the tournament.
The Bruins move on to the second round, where they face off against Richmond, Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.