# 2023–24 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team

The 2023–24 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins were led by 13th-year head coach Cori Close. They played their home games at Pauley Pavilion and competed as members of the Pac-12 Conference.
This was also the last season for UCLA played in the Pac-12 Conference before moving to the Big Ten Conference on August 1, 2024.
Prior to the season, the Bruins secured the signing of highly touted center Lauren Betts, the former top-ranked high school recruit in the country who was transferring to UCLA from conference rival Stanford after one season in which she received limited playing time.

## Previous season

UCLA finished the season 27–10, 11–7 in Pac-12 play, to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the fifth seed in the Pac-12 tournament, they defeated Arizona State in the first round, Arizona in the quarterfinals, and Stanford in the semifinals before losing in the championship game to Washington State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a 4th seed in the Greenville Regional 1, where they defeated Sacramento State in the first round and Oklahoma in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2019, where they lost to 1-seed South Carolina.

## Offseason
### Departures

UCLA departures :
| Name | Num. | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Brynn Masikewich | 5 | F | 6'3" | Senior | Calgary, AB | Graduate transferred to DePaul |
| Gina Conti | 10 | G | 5'11" | GS Senior | Grove City, OH | Graduated |

### Incoming

UCLA incoming transfers :
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Lauren Betts | 51 | C | 6'7" | Sophomore | Centennial, CO | Stanford |

#### Recruiting

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Amanda Muse P | Brentwood, CA | Heritage High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. ||||||

#### Recruiting class of 2024

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Kendall Dudley W | Centreville, VA | Sidwell Friends School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 |||||||
| Avary Cain G | Santa Maria, CA | Saint Joseph High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 |||||||
| Zania Socka-Nguemen F | Washington, D.C. | Sidwell Friends School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 5:30 p.m., P12N | No. 4 | Purdue | W 92–49 | 1–0 | 20 – tied | 7 – Betts | 10 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (2,157) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | No. 4 | UC Riverside | W 90–52 | 2–0 | 18 – tied | 15 – Betts | 5 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (1,431) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 12, 2023* 2:00 p.m. | No. 4 | Bellarmine | W 113–64 | 3–0 | 30 – Jaquez | 12 – Jaquez | 4 – tied | Pauley Pavilion (1,625) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 17, 2023* 11:30 a.m., P12N | No. 3 | Princeton | W 77–74 | 4–0 | 22 – Betts | 10 – Betts | 3 – tied | Pauley Pavilion (6,243) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 24, 2023* 4:30 p.m., FloSports | No. 2 | vs. No. 6 UConn Cayman Islands Classic | W 78–67 | 5–0 | 24 – Rice | 11 – Rice | 8 – Rice | John Gray Gymnasium (300) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 25, 2023* 10:30 a.m., FloSports | No. 2 | vs. Niagara Cayman Islands Classic | W 97–46 | 6–0 | 23 – Jaquez | 7 – tied | 8 – Rice | John Gray Gymnasium (300) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| December 3, 2023* 12:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 2 | at Arkansas | W 81–66 | 7–0 | 20 – Betts | 11 – Jaquez | 6 – Osborne | Bud Walton Arena (4,261) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 7, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | No. 2 | Cal State Northridge | W 111–48 | 8–0 | 18 – tied | 10 – Rice | 10 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (2,493) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 10, 2023* 9:00 a.m., ESPN2 | No. 2 | vs. No. 20 Florida State Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase | W 95–78 | 9–0 | 22 – Betts | 18 – Betts | 6 – Rice | Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT |
| December 18, 2023* 3:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 2 | at No. 13 Ohio State | W 77–71 | 10–0 | 19 – Osborne | 11 – Betts | 4 – tied | Value City Arena (6,800) Columbus, OH |
| December 21, 2023* 1:00 p.m. | No. 2 | Hawaii | W 85–46 | 11–0 | 17 – Osborne | 7 – Betts | 6 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (2,142) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 regular season |||||||||
| December 30, 2023 5:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | No. 6 USC Rivalry | W 71–64 | 12–0 (1–0) | 21 – Jones | 8 – Betts | 6 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | Oregon | W 75–49 | 13–0 (2–0) | 17 – Dugalić | 11 – Betts | 10 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (3,415) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 7, 2024 1:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | Oregon State | W 65–54 | 14–0 (3–0) | 15 – Osborne | 8 – tied | 4 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (3,623) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 14, 2024 2:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | at No. 9 USC Rivalry | L 65–73 | 14–1 (3–1) | 25 – Osborne | 10 – Dugalic | 4 – Osborne | Galen Center (10,258) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 19, 2024 5:00 p.m., P12N | No. 5 | at No. 3 Colorado | W 76–68 | 15–1 (4–1) | 22 – Osborne | 13 – tied | 2 – tied | CU Events Center (11,338) Boulder, CO |
| January 22, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 2 | at No. 16 Utah | L 81–94 $^{OT}$ | 15–2 (4–2) | 21 – Jaquez | 7 – Rice | 3 – tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (5,261) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 26, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | Washington | W 62–44 | 16–2 (5–2) | 17 – Osborne | 13 – Dugalić | 6 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (3,563) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 28, 2024 1:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | Washington State | L 82–85 | 16–3 (5–3) | 25 – Rice | 6 – tied | 5 – tied | Pauley Pavilion (7,241) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 7 | at California | W 78–58 | 17–3 (6–3) | 32 – Osborne | 4 – tied | 4 – Osborne | Haas Pavilion (3,784) Berkeley, CA |
| February 4, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 7 | at No. 4 Stanford | L 60–80 | 17–4 (6–4) | 13 – tied | 5 – tied | 3 – Jones | Maples Pavilion (7,207) Stanford, CA |
| February 9, 2024 8:00 p.m., P12N | No. 9 | Arizona | W 66–58 | 18–4 (7–4) | 21 – Jaquez | 15 – Jaquez | 6 – tied | Pauley Pavilion (5,210) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 11, 2024 12:00 p.m., P12N | No. 9 | Arizona State | W 78–45 | 19–4 (8–4) | 18 – Betts | 8 – Rice | 5 – Brown | Pauley Pavilion (3,182) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 9 | at No. 11 Oregon State | L 77–79 | 19–5 (8–5) | 24 – Betts | 7 – Betts | 5 – Rice | Gill Coliseum (8,525) Corvallis, OR |
| February 18, 2024 2:00 p.m., P12N | No. 9 | at Oregon | W 74–55 | 20–5 (9–5) | 17 – Betts | 12 – Osborne | 6 – Osborne | Matthew Knight Arena (6,792) Eugene, OR |
| February 22, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 12 | No. 18 Utah | W 82–52 | 21–5 (10–5) | 23 – Jones | 9 – Dugalic | 7 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (3,711) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 26, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 8 | No. 13 Colorado Senior Night | W 53–45 | 22–5 (11–5) | 20 – Rice | 9 – tied | 4 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (5,319) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 29, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 8 | at Arizona State | W 70–41 | 23–5 (12–5) | 20 – Betts | 11 – Betts | 7 – Rice | Desert Financial Arena (1,871) Tempe, AZ |
| March 2, 2024 5:00 p.m., P12N | No. 8 | at Arizona | W 61–41 | 24–5 (13–5) | 16 – Jones | 12 – Betts | 6 – Rice | McKale Center (7,845) Tucson, AZ |
| Pac-12 women's tournament |||||||||
| March 7, 2024 8:30 p.m., P12N | (3) No. 7 | vs. (6) No. 22 Utah Quarterfinals | W 67–57 | 25–5 | 17 – Dugalić | 9 – Rice | 3 – tied | MGM Grand Garden Arena (4,901) Paradise, NV |
| March 8, 2024 7:30 p.m., P12N | (3) No. 7 | vs. (2) No. 5 USC Semifinals/Rivalry | L 70–80 $^{2OT}$ | 25–6 | 21 – Osborne | 18 – Betts | 6 – Rice | MGM Grand Garden Arena (5,713) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA women's tournament |||||||||
| March 23, 2024* 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (2 A2) No. 6 | (15 A2) California Baptist First round | W 84–55 | 26–6 | 20 – Rice | 15 – Osborne | 9 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (8,841) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 25, 2024* 5:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (2 A2) No. 6 | (7 A2) No. 24 Creighton Second round | W 67–63 | 27–6 | 24 – Rice | 10 – Betts | 4 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (7,839) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 30, 2024* 10:00 a.m., ABC | (2 A2) No. 6 | vs. (3 A2) No. 8 LSU Sweet Sixteen | L 69–78 | 27–7 | 14 – tied | 17 – Betts | 5 – Rice | MVP Arena Albany, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. A2=Albany 2. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place 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 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| Coaches | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5т | 4 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
*The preseason and week 1 polls were the same. ^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll.

## Awards and honors

* February 29, 2024 – Coach Cori Close is the recipient of the 2024 WBCA Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award
* March 5, 2024 – Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, and Charisma Osborne named to the All-Pac-12 Team
* March 5, 2024 – Lauren Betts and Charisma Osborne named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team
* April 15, 2024 – Charisma Osborne is selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the 25th pick in the 2024 WNBA draft