Bruins Hold Off Sooners for Top 10 Win in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO – UCLA Women’s Basketball lit the beam blue in Sacramento Monday, downing Oklahoma 73-59 in Golden 1 Arena.
 
The Bruins (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) took down the No. 6-ranked Sooners (1-1, 0-0 SEC) in the first of three-straight neutral site games for UCLA; the Bruins head to Las Vegas later this week to play in the WBCA Challenge Nov. 13-15.
 
Graduate student Angela Dugalić stuffed the stat sheet off the bench, scoring 16 points (6-11 FG, 3-5 3FG) and securing a game-high 15 rebounds in Monday night’s win. Her rebounding total matches her career high from Nov. 17, 2024, against Arkansas.
 
Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens led all scorers with her 20 points Monday, her second-consecutive 20-point outing. Kneepkens shot 8-for-14 from the floor and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc; the transfer boasts a team-high 49 points in her first three games with the Bruins.
 
UCLA put on a strong effort to control the boards and outrebounded Oklahoma 59-43 Monday. The Sooners had 61 rebounds in their season opening win against Belmont prior to meeting the Bruins.
 
Senior Lauren Betts opened UCLA’s scoring after tip-off with a midrange jumper off a screen from graduate transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker. Betts finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in nearly 35 minutes on the floor.
 

In her bag early! ??#GoBruins | @laurenbetts12 pic.twitter.com/5wQ5oo4dfS

— UCLA Women’s Basketball (@UCLAWBB) November 11, 2025

 
The Bruins and Sooners had a back-and-forth affair early in Monday’s top 10 battle; all four lead changes in the game occurred before the 7-minute mark in the second quarter. Senior Gabriela Jaquez netted a third of UCLA’s points in the first quarter, scoring eight on 3-of-5 shooting in the opening frame.
 
Momentum began to swing in UCLA’s favor behind Kneepkens’ perfect second quarter; the Duluth, Minn., native had nine points on 4-of-4 shooting in the period and went into the break with 14 points to her name. Dugalić had eight points and 10 rebounds at the half.
 

Contact or not Gianna’s getting hot! She’s got 1?4? in the first half! ??

??: @FS1 #GoBruins | @giannakneepkens pic.twitter.com/MbEIKH2OOs

— UCLA Women’s Basketball (@UCLAWBB) November 11, 2025

 
The Sooners brought themselves back within one point early in the third quarter after scoring three-straight buckets in 40 seconds. Coach Close called time and the Bruins regrouped – UCLA went on an 11-1 run out of the timeout. Leger-Walker cashed a triple and a step-back middy to help Betts and Kneepkens in the scoring wave.
 
Despite giving up a buzzer beater to end the third quarter, the Bruins headed into the final frame up 11. The Bruins showed balanced scoring in the fourth, with five players scoring seven total baskets to finish off the Sooners.
 
Kneepkens shook her defender – No. 1-ranked freshman Aaliyah Chavez – with a killer half spin fake out and finished a tough floater over senior Sooner Raegan Beers to cap UCLA’s win in style.
 

See ya!

??: @FS1 x @UCLAWBB pic.twitter.com/3FNcdojLt4

— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) November 11, 2025

 
Jaquez (11 PTS) and senior point guard Kiki Rice (10 PTS) joined Kneepkens and Dugalić in double figures in Monday’s win.
 
UP NEXT: vs. No. 11 UNC (Nov. 13)
The Bruins take on the Tar Heels in another neutral site game. No. 3-ranked UCLA will face No. 11-ranked UNC at the WBCA Challenge in Las Vegas before matching up against South Florida in Sin City.
 
UCLA-UNC will be broadcast to ESPN 2 from Michelob ULTRA Arena on Thursday; tip is set for 6 p.m. PT.