No. 2 UCLA dominates in the paint and routs Hawaii 85-46 to go 11-0
Hawaii guard Ashley Thoms (3) defends against a shot by UCLA guard Charisma Osborne, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea
LOS ANGELES — No. 2 UCLA cruised undefeated through its nonconference schedule, beating ranked UConn, Florida State and Ohio State on the road.
Now, the Bruins are about to face their biggest test yet.
They'll take on No. 6 Southern California after Christmas in the teams' Pac-12 opener in a game expected to be a sellout at Pauley Pavilion.
“It's going to be a blast,” coach Cori Close said Thursday after the Bruins routed Hawaii 85-46 to finish 11-0 in nonleague play. “We’re not even close to playing our best basketball.”
Charisma Osborne scored 17 points and UCLA had over half its points in the paint in the first half.
The Rainbow Wahine had no answer inside for 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts, who towered 3 inches over their tallest player. Even when double-teamed, Betts fought through to draw a foul. She finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Hawaii's starting center, Brooklyn Rewers, picked up three fouls in the first half.
The Bruins led 45-16 at halftime, outscoring the Wahine 30-4 in the paint. For the game, the Bruins outscored Hawaii 44-8 inside.
Hawaii forward Imani Perez, left, defends against a shot by UCLA guard Londynn Jones, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea
“We’ve grown a lot as a team,” Osborne said. “We’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with each other and finding each others good shots.”
Olivia Davies led the Wahine (3-6) with 11 points. MeiLani McBee added nine points. She was one of five Hawaii players in foul trouble. The Wahine had a season-high 26 turnovers.
Kiki Rice added 14 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals for UCLA.
The Bruins didn't waste any time in dominating the Wahine, who were coming off a 17-day break.
UCLA forward Christeen Iwuala, front left, grabs a rebound in front Hawaii center Brooklyn Rewers, back left, guard MeiLani McBee, second from right, and guard Ashley Thoms, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea
The Wahine's only points in the first quarter came on two 3-pointers by McBee. They committed 12 turnovers and were outscored 20-0 in the paint.
The Bruins' lone weak spot was free throws. They made just 8 of 19.
“It was definitely one of those days,” said Betts, who missed all three of her free throws.
Hawaii's Daejah Phillips went down with 1:42 remaining in the game. She eventually got up and walked off, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and five assists.
BIG PICTURE
Hawaii: It's another challenging start to a season for the Wahine. They fell to 0-3 against Pac-12 teams, already having lost at Stanford and to Washington in November. Last season, they began 1-7 before winning their second straight Big West title and making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1989-90. Two years ago, they went into league play at 3-6, then rallied to go 13-3 and win the Big West regular season and tournament titles.
UCLA: Betts has blossomed since joining UCLA from Stanford via the transfer portal. She was buried on the depth chart with the Cardinal, but leads the nation with a 77% field-goal percentage and is one of five Bruins averaging double-digits in scoring (most in the Pac-12).
UP NEXT
Hawaii: Visits Cal State Fullerton to open Big West play on Dec. 30.
UCLA: Hosts No. 6 Southern California and star freshman JuJu Watkins on Dec. 30 in the teams' Pac-12 opener.
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