# 2021–22 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team

The 2021–22 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins were led by eleventh-year head coach Cori Close. They played their home games at Pauley Pavilion and competed as members of the Pac-12 Conference.
The Bruins were invited to the WNIT as the automatic qualifier for the Pac-12 Conference. It was the Bruins' first WNIT appearance since 2015, when they were WNIT champions.

## Previous season

The Bruins finished the season 17–6, 12–4 in Pac-12 play to finish in third place. As the third seed in the Pac-12 women's tournament they advanced to the championship game where they lost to Stanford. As a three seed in the NCAA tournament, the Bruins managed to beat Wyoming in the 1st round, but then they lost to Texas in the second round to end their season.

## Offseason
### Departures

Due to COVID-19 disruptions throughout NCAA sports in 2020–21, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any individual involved in an NCAA winter sport, including women's basketball. This meant that all seniors in 2020–21 had the option to return for 2021–22.
UCLA Departures :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Lindsay Corsaro | G | 6'1" | Junior | Indianapolis, IN | Graduated |
| Michaela Onyenwere | F | 6'0" | Senior | Aurora, CO | Graduated; selected 6th overall by the New York Liberty in the 2021 WNBA draft |
| Lauryn Miller | F | 6'1" | Senior | Kirkwood, MO | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Gina Conti | 10 | G | 5'11" | Graduate Student | Grove City, OH | Wake Forest |
| IImar'I Thomas | 24 | F | 5'10" | Graduate Student | Oakland, CA | Cincinnati |
| Jaelynn Penn | 31 | G | 5'10" | Graduate Student | Louisville, KY | Indiana |
| Angela Dugalić | 32 | F | 6'4" | Sophomore | Des Plaines, IL | Oregon |

## Preseason

* October 12, 2021 – The Bruins were picked to finish third in both the 2021-22 Pac-12 Preseason Media and Coaches Polls, behind Stanford and Oregon
* October 25, 2021 – Gina Conti was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award top 20 watch list (Top point guard)
* October 26, 2021 – Charisma Osborne was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award top 20 watch list (Best shooting guard)
* November 3, 2021 – Preseason All-Pac-12 team: Charisma Osborne; Gina Conti and Natalie Chou (Honorable mention)
* November 9, 2021 – Charisma Osborne was named to three watch lists (Wade Trophy, Wooden Award, and Naismith Trophy)

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular Season |||||||||
| November 10, 2021* 7:00 pm, P12N | No. 20 | Pepperdine | W 78–69 | 1–0 | 24 – Osborne | 7 – Thomas | 4 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (1,363) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 18, 2021* 7:00 pm, live stream | No. 20 | Cal State Northridge | W 73–46 | 2–0 | 21 – Thomas | 9 – Anstey | 7 – Penn | Pauley Pavilion (794) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 21, 2021* 3:00 pm, P12N | No. 20 | Virginia | W 69–57 | 3–0 | 20 – Chou | 6 – Owens | 7 – Penn | Pauley Pavilion (1,077) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 26, 2021* 10:30 am, FloHoops | No. 19 | vs. Kent State Gulf Coast Showcase | L 69–75 | 3–1 | 21 – Osborne | 8 – Penn | 3 – Tied | Hertz Arena (150) Estero, FL |
| November 27, 2021* 8:00 am, FloHoops | No. 19 | vs. South Dakota State Gulf Coast Showcase consolation | L 66–76 | 3–2 | 18 – Thomas | 7 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Hertz Arena (213) Estero, FL |
| November 28, 2021* 8:00 am, FloHoops | No. 19 | vs. St. John's (NY) Gulf Coast Showcase seventh place | W 73–65 | 4–2 | 19 – Tied | 11 – Osborne | 6 – Osborne | Hertz Arena (143) Estero, FL |
| December 5, 2021* 2:00 pm, live stream | | San Jose State | W 112–33 | 5–2 | 32 – Thomas | 9 – Owens | 11 – Chou | Pauley Pavilion (1,362) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 11, 2021* 10:00 am, ABC | | vs. No. 3 UConn Never Forget Tribute Classic | L 61–71 | 5–3 | 26 – Osborne | 8 – Anstey | 3 – Penn | Prudential Center (9,236) Newark, NJ |
| December 16, 2021* 7:00 pm, live stream | | Texas Southern | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 19, 2021* 5:00 pm, P12N | | Ohio State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 21, 2021* 1:00 pm, live stream | | Cal State Bakersfield | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 31, 2021 6:00 pm, P12N | | Arizona State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| January 7, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | | at Utah | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Utah program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Utah program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Utah program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Utah program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Utah program | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 9, 2022 10:00 am, P12N | | at Colorado | L 63–71 | 5–4 (0–1) | 15 – Chou | 13 – Anstey | 5 – Chou | CU Events Center (1,652) Boulder, CO |
| January 14, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | Washington | W 63–48 | 6–4 (1–1) | 25 – Thomas | 8 – Penn | 6 – Onu | Pauley Pavilion (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 16, 2022 12:00 pm, P12N | | Washington State | W 71–58 | 7–4 (2–1) | 25 – Osborne | 10 – Owens | 4 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 20, 2022 6:30 pm, P12N | | USC Rivalry | W 66–43 | 8–4 (3–1) | 20 – Thomas | 7 – Thomas | 7 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 23, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | | at USC Rivalry | W 68–58 | 9–4 (4–1) | 27 – Osborne | 9 – Anstey | 7 – Thomas | Galen Center (1,892) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 26, 2022 5:00 pm, P12N | | No. 8 Arizona | L 63–74 | 9–5 (4–2) | 14 – Thomas | 10 – Onu | 5 – Onu | Pauley Pavilion (826) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 28, 2022 8:00 pm, P12N | | at No. 19 Oregon | Forfeited to Oregon due to excess non-COVID injuries within the UCLA program. | Forfeited to Oregon due to excess non-COVID injuries within the UCLA program. | Forfeited to Oregon due to excess non-COVID injuries within the UCLA program. | Forfeited to Oregon due to excess non-COVID injuries within the UCLA program. | Forfeited to Oregon due to excess non-COVID injuries within the UCLA program. | Matthew Knight Arena Eugene, OR |
| January 30, 2022 2:00 pm, P12N | | at Oregon State | L 58–72 | 9–6 (4–4) | 13 – Tied | 7 – Onu | 4 – Thomas | Gill Coliseum (4,341) Corvallis, OR |
| February 3, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 2 Stanford Blue Out | L 48–76 | 9–7 (4–5) | 12 – Osborne | 8 – Owens | 6 – Thomas | Pauley Pavilion (2,100) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 6, 2022 12:00 pm, P12N | | California | W 59–54 | 10–7 (5–5) | 16 – Thomas | 12 – Thomas | 4 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (1,620) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 11, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | at Washington State | L 65–66 | 10–8 (5–6) | 23 – Osborne | 6 – Thomas | 3 – Tied | Beasley Coliseum (1,120) Pullman, WA |
| February 13, 2022 12:00 pm, P12N | | at Washington | W 69–61 | 11–8 (6–6) | 22 – Osborne | 9 – Horvat | 5 – Osborne | Alaska Airlines Arena (1,472) Seattle, WA |
| February 16, 2022* 4:00 pm, P12N | | at Oregon | L 53–67 | 11–9 | 16 – Tied | 9 – Thomas | 3 – Horvat | Matthew Knight Arena (7,223) Eugene, OR |
| February 18, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | Colorado | L 54–67 | 11–10 (6–7) | 17 – Thomas | 8 – Thomas | 6 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (2,204) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 20, 2022 12:00 pm, P12N | | Utah | L 70–75 | 11–11 (6–8) | 20 – Thomas | 9 – Thomas | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (1,630) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 24, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | | at No. 12 Arizona | W 64–46 | 12–11 (7–8) | 17 – Osborne | 11 – Thomas | 4 – Chou | McKale Center (8,067) Tucson, AZ |
| February 26, 2022 11:00 am, P12N | | at Arizona State | W 59–52 | 13–11 (8–8) | 17 – Osborne | 10 – Horvat | 4 – Tied | Desert Financial Arena (2,176) Tempe, AZ |
| Pac-12 Women's Tournament |||||||||
| March 2, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | (7) | vs. (10) USC First Round | W 73–60 | 14–11 | 18 – Thomas | 12 – Dugalić | 3 – Osborne | Michelob Ultra Arena (3,010) Paradise, NV |
| March 3, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | (7) | vs. (2) Oregon Quarterfinals | L 60–63 | 14–12 | 18 – Tied | 7 – Osborne | 8 – Osborne | Michelob Ultra Arena (4,428) Paradise, NV |
| WNIT |||||||||
| March 18, 2022* 6:50 pm, Live Stream | | UC Irvine First Round | W 61–48 | 15–12 | 19 – Chou | 11 – Thomas | 4 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (1,415) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 20, 2022* 2:00 pm, Live Stream | | Air Force Second Round | W 61–45 | 16–12 | 17 – Thomas | 7 – Dugalić | 3 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (1,050) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 24, 2022* 5:30 pm, MW Network | | at Wyoming Third Round | W 82–81 $^{3OT}$ | 17–12 | 20 – Osborne | 10 – Thomas | 5 – Osborne | Arena-Auditorium (4,297) Laramie, WY |
| March 27, 2022 12:00 pm, Live Stream | | at Oregon State Quarterfinals | W 74–66 | 18–12 | 31 – Osborne | 10 – Osborne | 4 – Osborne | Gill Coliseum (2,976) Corvallis, OR |
| March 31, 2022* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at South Dakota State Semifinals | L 59–62 | 18–13 | 24 – Thomas | 6 – Horvat | 8 – Osborne | Frost Arena (5,227) Brookings, SD |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 20 | 20* | 20 | 19 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | 14 | 14* | 14^ | 15 | 24 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | RV | | | | | | | | RV |
*The preseason and week 1 polls were the same. ^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll.

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award (PAC-12 Conference) | Stats (PPG/RPG/FG%) | Week | Date awarded |
| Natalie Chou | Player of the Week | 31.0/6.0/68.8 | November 29-December 5 | December 6, 2021 |
| Charisma Osborne | Player of the Week | | January 17 – January 23 | January 24, 2022 |
| Charisma Osborne | Player of the Week | | February 21 – February 27 | February 28, 2022 |
| Charisma Osborne | All-Pac-12 team | | – | March 1, 2022 |
| IImar'I Thomas | All-Pac-12 team | | – | March 1, 2022 |
| Charisma Osborne | All-Defensive, Honorable Mention | | – | March 1, 2022 |
| Izzy Anstey | All-Freshman, Honorable Mention | | – | March 1, 2022 |
* January 5, 2022 – Charisma Osborne named to the mid-season top 25 John R. Wooden Award watch list
* January 31, 2022 – Charisma Osborne was named to the John R. Wooden Award's late season top 20 watch list
* February 8, 2022 – Charisma Osborne was selected to the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award top 10 watch list and to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy midseason team
* April 4, 2022 – IImar'I Thomas named to the WNIT All-Tournament team

## Statistics

    Updated through February 26, 2022
| Record | UCLA | OPP |
| Scoring | 1594 | 1480 |
| Scoring Average | 66.4 | 61.7 |
| Field Goals - Att | 582–1433 | 509–1305 |
| 3-pt. Field Goals - Att | 147–437 | 168–451 |
| Free Throws - Att | 283–366 | 294–410 |
| Rebounds | 878 | 792 |
| Assists | 331 | 298 |
| Turnovers | 323 | 358 |
| Steals | 153 | 162 |