# 2022–23 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team

The 2022–23 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins were led by twelfth-year head coach Cori Close. They played their home games at Pauley Pavilion and competed as members of the Pac-12 Conference.

## Previous season

The Bruins finished the previous season 18–13, 8–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in seventh place. As the seventh seed in the Pac-12 women's tournament, they defeated their crosstown rivals USC before losing to Oregon in the quarterfinals. 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. They advanced to the tournament's semifinals, where they lost to South Dakota State.

## 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 | Num. | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Chantel Horvat | 0 | G | 6'2" | RS Senior | Geelong, Australia | Graduated |
| Kayla Owens | 1 | G | 6'1" | RS Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated |
| Kiara Jefferson | 3 | G | 5'9" | Senior | Sacramento, CA | Graduated |
| Natalie Chou | 23 | G | 6'1" | Graduate Student | Plano, TX | Graduated |
| IImar'I Thomas | 24 | F | 5'10" | Graduate Student | Oakland, CA | Graduated |
| Jaelynn Penn | 31 | G | 5'10" | Graduate Student | Louisville, KY | Graduated |
| Eliana Sigal | 51 | G | 5'10" | Senior | Irvine, CA | Walk-on; graduated |

#### Recruiting

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Kiki Rice PG | Washington, DC | Sidwell Friends School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 ||||||
| Gabriela Jaquez F | Camarillo, CA | Adolfo Camarillo | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Londynn Jones PG | Riverside, CA | Santiago High School | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Christeen Iwuala P | San Antonio, TX | Ronald Reagan High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| 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: "2022 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. ||||||

#### Recruiting class of 2023

College recruiting information (2023) :
| 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 December 30, 2022. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular Season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 5:30 p.m. | | Cal Poly | W 84–48 | 1–0 | 20 – Osborne | 9 – Tied | 7 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| November 10, 2022* 11:30 a.m. | | UC Riverside | W 64–43 | 2–0 | 16 – Bessoir | 13 – Osborne | 5 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (3,918) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 13, 2022* 2:00 p.m., P12N | | Troy | W 95–83 | 3–0 | 29 – Osborne | 10 – Osborne | 5 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (2,248) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 19, 2022* 11:30 a.m., FloSports | | vs. South Dakota State Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals | W 72–65 | 4–0 | 28 – Osborne | 10 – Brown | 5 – Conti | Imperial Arena (235) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 20, 2022* 9:00 a.m., FloSports | | vs. No. 11 Tennessee Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals | W 80–63 | 5–0 | 23 – Osborne | 7 – Sontag | 6 – Rice | Imperial Arena (247) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 21, 2022* 9:00 a.m., ESPN2 | No. 20 | vs. Marquette Battle 4 Atlantis championship | W 66–58 $^{OT}$ | 6–0 | 18 – Rice | 9 – Bessoir | 6 – Osborne | Imperial Arena (572) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 25, 2022* 2:00 p.m. | No. 20 | Jackson State | W 72–60 | 7–0 | 20 – Osborne | 8 – Sontag | 6 – Conti | Pauley Pavilion (2,455) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 29, 2022* 4:00 p.m., SECN | No. 15 | at No. 1 South Carolina | L 64–73 | 7–1 | 24 – Osborne | 8 – Bessoir | 3 – Conti | Colonial Life Arena (12,501) Columbia, SC |
| December 3, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | at UC Santa Barbara | W 68–57 | 8–1 | 19 – Osborne | 8 – Rice | 4 – Tied | The Thunderdome (2,237) Santa Barbara, CA |
| December 10, 2022* 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 13 | Cal State Fullerton | W 64–41 | 9–1 | 14 – Rice | 9 – Conti | 5 – Conti | Pauley Pavilion (2,480) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 10 | at USC Rivalry | W 59–56 | 10–1 (1–0) | 16 – Bessoir | 13 – Osborne | 6 – Conti | Galen Center (3,109) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 17, 2022* 2:00 p.m. | No. 10 | Cal State Bakersfield | W 75–47 | 11–1 | 12 – Tied | 8 – Bessoir | 8 – Conti | Pauley Pavilion (2,473) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 20, 2022* 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 11 | Fresno State | W 82–48 | 12–1 | 16 – Osborne | 6 – Tied | 5 – Conti | Pauley Pavilion (2,163) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 30, 2022 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 10 | at No. 17 Oregon | W 82–74 | 13–1 (2–0) | 21 – Rice | 6 – Tied | 7 – Rice | Matthew Knight Arena (6,726) Eugene, OR |
| January 1, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | No. 10 | at Oregon State | L 72–77 | 13–2 (2–1) | 20 – Rice | 7 – Bessoir | 6 – Conti | Gill Coliseum (3,546) Corvallis, OR |
| January 8, 2023 2:00 p.m., P12N | No. 12 | USC Rivalry | W 61–60 | 14–2 (3–1) | 22 – Jones | 7 – Osborne | 4 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (6,638) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 13, 2023 8:00 p.m., P12N | No. 8 | No. 2 Stanford | L 59–72 | 14–3 (3–2) | 13 – Tied | 7 – Osborne | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (6,855) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 15, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | No. 8 | California | W 87–70 | 15–3 (4–2) | 18 – Jones | 8 – Rice | 12 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (4,317) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 20, 2023 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 9 | at Washington | W 51–47 | 16–3 (5–2) | 12 – Tied | 8 – Sontag | 2 – Osborne | Alaska Airlines Arena (2,265) Seattle, WA |
| January 22, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | No. 9 | at Washington State | W 73–66 | 17–3 (6–2) | 13 – Tied | 7 – Bessoir | 4 – Jones | Beasley Coliseum (986) Pullman, WA |
| January 27, 2023 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 8 | at No. 25 Colorado | L 70–73 $^{OT}$ | 17–4 (6–3) | 14 – Jones | 8 – Brown | 5 – Conti | CU Events Center (2,227) Boulder, CO |
| January 29, 2023 11:00 a.m., P12N | No. 8 | at No. 9 Utah | L 69–71 | 17–5 (6–4) | 17 – Bessoir | 6 – Bessoir | 5 – Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (3,211) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 3, 2023 8:00 p.m., P12N | No. 14 | No. 22 Arizona | L 66–71 $^{OT}$ | 17–6 (6–5) | 20 – Jones | 9 – Rice | 5 – Rice | Pauley Pavilion (3,482) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 5, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | No. 14 | Arizona State | W 82–63 | 18–6 (7–5) | 23 – Osborne | 7 – Bessoir | 8 – Conti | Pauley Pavilion (3,462) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 10, 2023 5:00 p.m., P12N | No. 18 | Oregon State | W 62–54 | 19–6 (8–5) | 14 – Jaquez | 10 – Osborne | 4 – Sontag | Pauley Pavilion (2,935) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 12, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | No. 18 | Oregon | W 67–57 | 20–6 (9–5) | 20 – Bessoir | 6 – Tied | 6 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion (3,629) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 17, 2023 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 16 | at California | W 67–54 | 21–6 (10–5) | 19 – Jones | 10 – Osborne | 3 – Tied | Haas Pavilion (1,606) Berkeley, CA |
| February 20, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 17 | at No. 3 Stanford | L 66–71 | 21–7 (10–6) | 14 – Jones | 7 – Osborne | 6 – Osborne | Maples Pavilion (5,813) Stanford, CA |
| February 23, 2023 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 17 | Washington State | L 55–62 | 21–8 (10–7) | 14 – Osborne | 8 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (2,825) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 25, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | No. 17 | Washington | W 70–62 | 22–8 (11–7) | 19 – Osborne | 6 – Osborne | 3 – Jones | Pauley Pavilion (4,375) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 Women's Tournament |||||||||
| March 1, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | (5) No. 19 | vs. (12) Arizona State First round | W 81–70 $^{OT}$ | 23–8 | 17 – Bessoir | 9 – Bessoir | 6 – Rice | Michelob Ultra Arena (3,292) Paradise, NV |
| March 2, 2023 12:00 p.m., P12N | (5) No. 19 | vs. (4) No. 21 Arizona Quarterfinals | W 73–59 | 24–8 | 18 – Tied | 13 – Bessoir | 7 – Rice | Michelob Ultra Arena (4,245) Paradise, NV |
| March 3, 2023 6:00 p.m., P12N | (5) No. 19 | vs. (1) No. 6 Stanford Semifinals | W 69–65 | 25–8 | 22 – Rice | 6 – Bessoir | 5 – Rice | Michelob Ultra Arena Paradise, NV |
| March 5, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (5) No. 19 | vs. (7) Washington State Final | L 61–65 | 25–9 | 19 – Osborne | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Michelob Ultra Arena (5,032) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 18, 2023* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (4 G1) No. 14 | (13 G1) Sacramento State First Round | W 67–45 | 26–9 | 15 – Rice | 12 – Osborne | 5 – Osborne | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| March 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (4 G1) No. 14 | (5 G1) No. 16 Oklahoma Second Round | W 82–73 | 27–9 | 36 – Osborne | 8 – Osborne | 5 – Conti | Pauley Pavilion (3,872) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 25, 2023* 11:00 a.m., ESPN | (4 G1) No. 14 | vs. (1 G1) No. 1 South Carolina Sweet Sixteen | L 43–59 | 27–10 | 14 – Osborne | 7 – Osborne | 2 – Osborne | Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, SC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. G1=Greenville 1. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking 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 | RV | RV* | RV | 20 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 14 | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV* | RV^ | 21 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 |
*The preseason and week 1 polls were the same. ^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll.

## Awards and honors

* February 20 – Londynn Jones named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week

### All Pac-12 Conference honors

* Charisma Osborne (All Pac-12)
* Londynn Jones (All Freshman Team)
* Kiki Rice (All Freshman Team)

### Pac-12 All-Tournament team

* Emily Bessoir (11 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast)
* Charisma Osborne (19 pts, 6-7 FT, 3 ast)
* Kiki Rice (13 pts, 3 reb)