UCLA Women's Basketball: Kiki Rice Reflects On Busy Sophomore Season

Matt Levine | Apr 7, 2024

The UCLA Bruins women's basketball team came up short of their goal to win a championship, but it was still a successful season nonetheless. For the second straight year, the Bruins made it to the Sweet Sixteen, this time falling to the LSU Tigers in a close game.

The Bruins saw growth from many players along the roster, including Kiki Rice. Rice was key for UCLA all year long and she reflected on her strong sophomore year with the Bruins.

"My sophomore year of college has been great! Outside of basketball, I’ve been enjoying taking advantage of all that UCLA has to offer, making new friends, and exploring Los Angeles."

In 34 games with the Bruins, Rice averaged 13.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. She was instrumental in the Bruins making it as far as they did, giving them a nice spark of scoring.

While the Bruins didn't meet their ultimate goals, they still put together a nice season. However, Rice knows that the team faced some adversity and opened up about that fact.

"We had a strong start, but then we hit a rough patch in the middle of the season. However, facing that adversity gave us the opportunity to grow and respond as a team, which turned out to be really beneficial for us. The highs and lows we experienced throughout the season have continued to shape us as a team and help us achieve our goals."

The Bruins' program has been growing over the years and can take this year as another learning lesson. They were one of the best teams in the country and even if the team looks a little different next season, they should still be competitive.