The Nebraska women’s basketball team suffered its second loss of the season with a 72-61 defeat to No. 17 Georgia Tech on the road right before the holiday break.
The litmus test proved to be too much for the Huskers who stayed competitive, but couldn’t keep up with the Yellow Jackets after they built a double-digit lead at halftime. All-America candidate Alexis Markowski recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds while five-star freshman Britt Prince added 11 points, a career-high eight rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Logan Nissley also chipped in 11 points off a trio of three pointers.
The holiday break has provided a perfect opportunity for Nebraska to reset as they travel to the west coast to take on No. 1 UCLA in Los Angeles for its second contest of a three-game stretch of top-20 opponents.
Here’s all you need to know as NU takes on the Bruins.
How to Follow Along
UCLA Scout
Head Coach: Cori Close | 14th Season | 299-140 (.681) UCLA & Career HC Record | 8x NCAA Tournament Appearances, 1x Elite Eight, 5x Sweet Sixteens, WNIT Champions (2015), 7x WNBA Draft Picks | Winningest head coach in UCLA WBB history.
2023-24 Record: 27-7 (13-5 Pac-12, T-2nd) | 3x Honorable Mention All-Americans, 3x All-Pac 12, 2x All-Defensive | L, 78-69 to LSU in Sweet 16.
All-Time Series: UCLA leads 4-3 (Nov. 28, 2014 last meeting, 71-66 Nebraska).
Key Returners: Lauren Betts, C, Jr. | Kiki Rice, G, Jr. | Londynn Jones, G, Jr. | Gabriela Jaquez, G, Jr. | Angela Dugalić, F, Gr. | Lina Sontag, F, Soph. | Camryn Brown, G, Gr.
Key Additions: Janiah Barker, F, Jr. (Texas A&M) | Timea Gardiner, F, Jr. (Oregon State) | Elina Aarnisalo, G, Fr. (Recruit).
Key Departures: Charisma Osborne, G (WNBA) | Christeen Iwuala, F, Jr. (Ole Miss).
Outlook: UCLA received 30 of the 32 first-place votes in the latest Women’s Basketball AP Poll and for good reason. Head coach Cori Close likely has her best team in her 14th season at UCLA, returning seven of the nine key playmakers in last season’s squad that fell to LSU in the Sweet 16.
The Bruins return two of their three AP Honorable Mention All-Americans from last season. 6-foot-7 junior center Lauren Betts leads that trio. She’s improved in her third season of college basketball averaging a double-double on the season with 19.8 points per game with over 10 rebounds per contest. Kiki Rice was dynamic as a sophomore with 12.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game including the tenth triple-double in program history when she put up 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a game against CSUN. In fact, four of the five Bruins who averaged double figures last season returns for 2024-2025 which also includes Londynn Jones and Gabriela Jaquez.
Credit to Close who identified this season as her best chance in chasing a national title, bringing in even more talent and not standing pat with all the returners. Forward Janiah Barker was the only sophomore to be named to the preseason All-SEC at Texas A&M. She backed that up with 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in 30 games with the Aggies. She’s now at UCLA and is one of four Bruins averaging double-digits with 10.2 points and 8.1 rebounds. 6-foot-3 Timea Gardner was named Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year with Oregon State last season and transferred to UCLA to stay in the Power Four. Even Finnish true freshman Elina Aarnisalo is making an impact with 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game
With eight players averaging at least seven points per game, this is a team with serious depth who are built for a deep tournament run. The Bruins are averaging 82.8 points per game on a 49.1 field goal percentage. A 47.7 to 28.3 average rebounding margin over its opponent highlights how dominant UCLA has been on the boards, plus the 17.8 average opponent turnovers per contest.
UCLA already has a 77-62 win over No. 2 South Carolina under its belt to further strengthen its grip on the No. 1 ranking. Its survival mode for Nebraska entering Saturday as a result similar to Georgia Tech would be a positive outcome.
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