INDIANAPOLIS – Go ahead, design your defense to stop Lauren Bates with swarming double and triple teams.
She would throw the ball to Gianna Knipkens for an open 3-pointer.
Do everything you can to keep Gabriela Jaquez off the beat.
Here Angela Dugalic comes off the bench to provide a series of points and rebounds.
Blitz Kiki Rice anytime you try to commit a crime.
UCLA will turn to Charlisse Leger-Walker, its other high-profile point guard, to alleviate that pressure.
There’s no easy way to beat this women’s basketball team given the depth and poise that was on display again Saturday inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Bruins had five players score in double figures and get multiple key contributions off the bench during a 72-62 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
It’s the kind of showing that makes one believe this team has what it takes to win its first NCAA Tournament.
This team is truly special, said Bates, who had 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals, which felt routine given their continued dominance. “This group of girls that we have together is not normal. To play in this type of game, you’re definitely going to need everyone. I’m proud of the way everyone gained the confidence to step up and do what was needed when we needed them to.”
Dugalic once again showed why she is the best super sub in the country.
During one crucial sequence in the fourth quarter, she blocked a 3-pointer on one end of the court and made a 3-pointer on the other.
“Angie, every time she comes in the game, she gives us a spark — the way she rebounds offensively, she hustles, she defends, she makes shots,” Rice said of the backup forward, who was solid across the board with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks. “The way she comes in and impacts the game is something we’re really grateful to have on the bench, and she makes us better every time she’s on the floor.”
Dougalic wasn’t the only reserve adding a spark. To maximize her short stint on the bench, freshman forward Sienna Bates added some defensive solidity with two steals in her seven minutes.
“The way she swerved, slid her feet, and made some really smart plays down the stretch, helped us and motivated us to run,” Rice said of Lauren Bates’ younger sister.
UCLA coach Corey Close said she challenged her reserves to contribute on an emotional play — resulting in a deflection, lunging for a loose ball — whenever they entered the game. Everyone who checked in checked this box.
“I think what I’m most proud of about our success is how everyone contributed and chose to be an addition to their winning properties,” Close said.
The Bruins also benefited from more sharp shooting from Kneepkens, who made three 3-pointers and is shooting a team-high 43.4% from long range.
“She’s a sniper,” Lauren Bates said. “She’s one of those players that will always be a reference for us offensively. She’s very effective, and we have a lot of confidence in her.”
Close said she was also proud of Jaquez’s performance late in a game in which she wasn’t at her best.
“Right before I came here, I pulled Gabs aside, and I thought she was really big,” Close said, referring to her conversation with reporters. “What I liked most about that was that she struggled a little bit in the middle of the second half. That showed a lot of her mental toughness, that she was going to be there for us on the defensive end and on the rebounding end, when we needed her the most.”
Perhaps no one knows the qualities that make UCLA a threat to win better than Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff, who freely acknowledged the Bruins’ many weapons after falling 0-2 to them this season.
“That’s what really makes them special, is they have a ton of talent and depth and length. Not only are the Bates sisters around the basket, but across the board, they’re really long. They upset us that day, they made a lot of passes, a lot of passes that we normally pass up shots or at least shooting opportunities, they were taking advantage of it,” McGuff said.
“I think their combination of talent, depth and length makes them very difficult to play against; that’s why I think they have a chance to make a great run in the NCAA Tournament.”