Bruins Come Out of Paris Trip Victorious

No. 5 UCLA women's basketball bested No. 13 Louisville in a top-20 showdown to open its season.

Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) looks to make a pass against the LSU Tigers during the first half in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

No. 5 UCLA women's basketball is off to a 1-0 start to its 2024-25 season following a 66-59 win over No. 13 Louisville in the Aflac Oui-Play in Paris, France, on Monday.

After being bested 18-13 in the opening period, the Bruins never looked back, outscoring the Cardinals in each of the next three quarters.

UCLA won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Louisville, 47-43. That effort was led by Bruins junior center Lauren Betts, who grabbed 13 rebounds while also leading UCLA in points with 18. She also recorded five assists.

Betts was one of three Bruins to reach double-digits in scoring, joined by transfer junior forward Timea Gardiner (15) and junior guard Londynn Jones (13), whose points came off of three triples, building off her epic 2023 campaign in which she set the program record for single-season 3-pointers made with 87.

Gardiner went an incredible 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. She previously played two seasons for Oregon State, where she was named last season's Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year. She averaged 10.2 points per game while playing in all 35 of the Beavers games in her final season with the program.

Another Bruin who shined in Monday's win was junior transfer forward Janiah Barker, who posted 8 points and seven rebounds in her UCLA debut.

Barker joined UCLA this past offseason after spending two seasons at Texas A&M. Last year, she finished second on the team in both total points (365) and rebounds (227). Barker averaged 12.2 points per game and 7.6 rebounds.

The Bruins were able to come away on top despite turning the ball over 22 times. If they are able to clean up that area of their game, there's no telling how good this group can be this season.

Overall, UCLA demonstrated on Monday that it is right where it belongs as the No. 5 team in the nation.

The Bruins will be back in action on Sunday when they host Colgate on Sunday at 2 p.m. PST/5 p.m. EST.

After that, UCLA will have two more games before it faces the defending national champions, No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 24.

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