What the No. 10 UCLA Bruins (9-2) lacked Sunday against the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks they made up for in their 83-42 road win against the North Carolina A&T Aggies (2-9). The women’s basketball team dominated North Carolina A&T in all facets of the game en route to its ninth win of the season before the beginning of conference play.
UCLA senior guard Kari Korver went for 15 points on five long-distance connections, after going 0-8 and missing all seven of her 3-pointers just three days prior in Columbia, South Carolina. Junior forward Monique Billings contributed another 15 points, tying Korver for game-high honors.
As a team, UCLA also rebounded from a poor 3-point shooting performance, making nine of 18.
After one of their worst shooting performances against the Gamecocks, the Bruins responded with five players scoring in double figures. The team also tallied 20 assists on its 31 made field goals and 54.4 percent shooting clip.
Meanwhile, UCLA’s suffocating defense was able to hold the Aggies to just 20 percent shooting, including four total first-half field goals, allowing the visiting team to take a 45-17 halftime lead heading into the locker room.
Stepping back onto the court after fouling out in the previous game and receiving a technical foul during her exit, UCLA junior guard Jordin Canada recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists on 4-of-8 shooting.
The Bruins, who went only 9-of-17 from the free throw line against the Gamecocks, went nearly perfect from the charity stripe, dropping 12-of-13.
North Carolina junior guard Kala Green’s 12 points off the bench made her the only Aggie to score in double figures in a game where her team committed more turnovers than made field goals with 23 and 13, respectively.
The win gives UCLA a 9-2 overall record approaching conference play as it looks ahead to Utah on Dec. 30 at Pauley Pavilion, where the team is undefeated.