They say “third time’s a charm,” but for Cori Close and UCLA, they are experiencing it in their very second season in the Big Ten conference. With a convincing 80-46 win against Northwestern on Sunday, the Bruins now stand 19-1 and 9-0 at the pinnacle of their conference table. Amid their unbeaten conference run, Close and the Bruins have earned an upbeat assessment from a rival Big Ten coach.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Northwestern Wildcats head coach Joe McKeown expressed his appreciation for his counterpart. “Cori and I have been friends for a long time. I coached one of her great players in Jordin Canada,” he said. “I’m not surprised at everything she’s doing; she’s been great for women’s basketball, great for college basketball, and UCLA.” For context, Canada, who is an UCLA legend in her own right, was coached by McKeown at the 2015 USA Basketball World University Games.

On Sunday, senior Gabriela Jaquez led the charge for the Bruins with 19 points, with 9-12 from open play. Complemented well by Giana Kneepkens, Angela Dugalic, and Lauren Betts, the side took an early lead following tip-off. Kneepkens started the scoring with a three-pointer from 24 feet, followed by two consecutive layups from Jaquez. This domination was just the start of the Bruins’ straight hegemony, and the gap between the two sides kept widening as the match progressed.

However, the Bruins also received a bit of help from the Northwestern players in this aspect. McKeown’s side rolled the ball 20 times in the game, giving away an easy 10 points. Moreover, the Wildcats struggled on the boards, recording 25 total rebounds, including just six offensive rebounds. McKeown highlighted it in his press conference, stating, “They’re one of the best teams in the country, and we saw glimpses of how good they are. Disappointed we didn’t play better, we’ve got to take better care of the ball, we didn’t rebound with them.”

Besides the turnovers, McKeown’s side also struggled in shooting from open play. The Wildcats managed to score just 17 of 48 from the field, for a minimal 35 percent. Cori Close’s Bruins played pretty well, recording 15 steals and 2 blocks. Moreover, the Bruins’ 27 defensive rebounds further validate UCLA’s strong defensive framework. However, the three-point shooting is something that Close will have to address in the locker room. The Bruins scored just 4 of 17 from the perimeter.

“We didn’t have our best shooting night from three, shooting 23%. But I think that’s why we make such a big deal about being anchored in our defense,” Close said in her post-match interview following the match. However, the game also suggested that Close’s UCLA can win games convincingly despite struggling from the perimeter. This sums it up perfectly on why they are such a high-performing two-way collegiate team in the country right now.

Close and the UCLA Bruins march on their unbeaten run in the Big Ten conference for now. Under Close, the side won 11 of its first conference games last season before losing to USC. And this time around, the side is already on nine. Thus, it would be interesting to see whether Close can better the Bruins’ 11-win mark from last season 11-win mark in the coming weeks.

Cori Close and the UCLA Bruins’ Upcoming Challenge Features an Unbeaten Conference Team

While Cori Close is in a perfect spot to improve her conference start, it will clash with the unbeaten IOWA Hawkeyes on Feb 2. The Hawkeyes are 9-0 in the conference and are coming off eight straight wins, including three against ranked teams. Similar to the Bruins, the Hawkeyes are formidable on both sides of the court.

With strong forwards like Berry Wallace and guard Gretchen Dolan, the Hawkeyes bring a lot of firepower on offense. While on defense, Cearah Parchment and Lety Vasconcelos are the go-to for the IOWA head coach, Jan Jensen. In her press conference after the Northwestern game, too, Close hinted that facing IOWA is in her psyche. “I mean, IOWA is undefeated in conference right now. And they will be coming to Pauley next weekend,” she said.

With two top teams of the country going head-to-head, the match is set to be as exciting as it gets. But for now, Cori Close’s side will divert her attention to the Illinois game on Wednesday. It will be an away game for the Bruins, and it won’t be a walk in the park.

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The Fighting Illini were in a perfect spot at one point, with 13-1 and 3-0. However, the side lost four of its next six games to trail far behind in the conference at the seventh spot. Thus, it would be interesting to see if the Bruins can beat Illinois, who are eager for a point, and set up a star-studded clash against the Hawkeyes, who have USC up next.