Gymnastics wins second straight Pac-12 title, posts highest national score of season

This post was updated March 23 at 9:09 p.m.

WEST VALLEY CITY, Ut. — The Bruins are Pac-12 Champions – again.

No. 2 UCLA gymnastics (9-1, 7-0 Pac-12) won the Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics Championships in West Valley City, Utah, on Saturday night for the second straight year. The Bruins met No. 6 Utah, No. 12 Oregon State and No. 14 California in the second session of the Championships and took home the win with a score of 198.400 – the highest score posted by any team this season.

“I should say ‘Woo hoo, season-high score!’ But, it’s really not about the score,” said coach Valorie Kondos Field. “It’s about going head-to-head in competition and making sure we leave with no regrets. We were able to do that. We have room to grow, but we are competing very well.”

The Bruins were behind after one rotation, trailing the Utes by .150. Each of Utah’s five uneven bars scores met or exceeded 9.900, while UCLA boasted five scores above 9.850 on vault.

After the second rotation, the Bruins took the lead and kept it for the remainder of the competition.

UCLA tied its second-best uneven bars score of the season with a 49.650, behind a perfect 10 from the event champion – junior Kyla Ross.

“I am always working on something to get better each week,” Ross said. “And I think that is still the mentality that I am going for. I’m not thinking about the score, I’m thinking about what I’m going to do to get better each time.”

But bars wasn’t Ross’s only 10 of the night. She notched another on floor exercise, marking her second straight perfect score on the event.

Ross has scored a 10 in each of her last eight meets and has recorded a total of 11 perfect scores this season. UCLA owns more than half of all perfect scores recorded in the NCAA this season.

“(Ross) is what sport is all about,” Kondos Field said. “Get your ego out of it, and just do the best you can, in the moment. And she does.”

Junior Grace Glenn and senior Brielle Nguyen tied their career bests on balance beam en route to a 49.550 on the event. Glenn and senior Katelyn Ohashi finished as co-champions on the event.

Following the third rotation, UCLA led by just .050. Utah’s MyKayla Skinner’s first perfect 10 of the season on floor was not enough to pull ahead of the Bruins.

The Bruins posted a 49.775 on floor exercise – their second highest floor score of the season. Both Ross and Ohashi scored perfect 10s on floor for the second week in a row, though UCLA clinched the win before Ohashi began her brand-new Tina Turner-, Beyonce- and Janet Jackson-inspired routine.

“In the moment, I realized that this was the first time that I was actually tumbling in this new routine,” Ohashi said. “I had to really time out my breathing and figure out how to get the snap on time, the clap on time. A lot of people asked if I was nervous to change it, but I know today I felt the calmest I have ever felt competing, strangely.”

The Bruins’ 198.400 is the highest score in the NCAA since 2015 and sets a new Pac-12 Gymnastics Championship record.

“Of course, I love to win out,” Kondos Field said. “But, the whole night I kept telling myself to stop focusing on the win and focus on my relationships with the student-athletes, because that is the most important thing. As a coach, the competitiveness kicks in, but then you miss the moments, and I don’t want to miss any moments before they’re gone.”

UCLA will have a week off before heading to the NCAA regionals on April 4.

Women’s basketball takes down Tennessee 89-77 to move to second round of NCAA play

This post was updated March 23 at 1:40 p.m.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Lindsey Corsaro got elbowed, stuffed some tissues in for her bloody nose and ran back onto the court.

“If you ask anyone in our program, ‘Who’s the toughest player on this team?’ they’re going to say Lindsey Corsaro,” said coach Cori Close.

The redshirt freshman guard finished with a career-high 18 points to help No. 6 seed UCLA women’s basketball (21-12, 12-6 Pac-12) defeat No. 11 seed Tennessee (19-13, 7-9 SEC) 89-77 to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday.

After blowing a 17-point first-quarter advantage, UCLA took the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter when Corsaro drained two 3s within a minute to spark a 14-6 Bruin run.

“The thing that was really funny too was she hit one of the 3s and both of those little things in her nose fell out,” Close said. “And then a huge smile comes across her face.”

The guard – who sat out her first two seasons with injuries – also added four rebounds and four assists in her first NCAA tournament contest.

“I was thinking last night before going to bed that, ‘Man, you grow up and you dream of playing in these games,’” Corsaro said. “I feel like I’ve been in college for so long, but it kind of hit me last night that I’ve never actually played in an NCAA tournament.”

The Bruins forced seven turnovers in the first quarter and led by as many as 17. Sophomore forward Lauryn Miller came off the bench, knocking down a jumper and an and-one layup to give UCLA a 28-14 lead going into the second period.

Senior guard Japreece Dean dished out four dimes in the first period, but started the game 0-of-7 from the field.

Dean, however, drained a 3 from the right wing with under a minute left in the period for her first points of the game, and went on to finish the game with 14 points, five assists and three rebounds.

“Despite having scoring not go her way, she was able to still lead us,” Close said.

UCLA and Tennessee traded runs in the second quarter with the Bruins taking a 44-32 lead heading into the break. The Bruins held the Lady Vols’ top scorer, guard Evina Westbrook, to 0-of-3 from the field in the first half.

In the third frame, UCLA went just 2-of-10 from the field and allowed an 11-0 Tennessee run, which cut its deficit to single digits for the first time since early in the first quarter.

Westbrook – who had just one point in the first half – buried a 3 and forced a turnover on the following possession, helping the Lady Vols to eventually tie the contest at 52-52 apiece with 1:12 to go in the third.

“We started worrying about the wrong things (in that quarter), and it drained our energy,” Close said. “We’ve got to be good about that and we’ve got to know what gives each other energy.”

Tennessee outscored UCLA 22-14 in the quarter and limited the Bruins to just 24 percent from the field, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Dean gave UCLA a 58-54 lead going into the final period.

Center Kasiyahna Kushkituah made a layup at the 8:49 mark in the fourth quarter to give Tennessee a 59-58 advantage – its first lead of the game.

“They are a long, athletic team, and I think that’s what gave us problems,” said forward Michaela Onyenwere. “They were finding ways to get in seams and we just got a little stagnant in the zone.”

But Onyenwere registered eight of her overall 22 points in the frame to help UCLA put the game away. Onyenwere also added 15 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season.

UCLA will face No. 3 seed Maryland (29-4, 15-3 Big-10) on Monday with the chance to advance to its fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance. The Terrapins defeated No. 14 seed Radford (26-7, 17-1 Big South) 73-51 on Saturday morning.

Women’s basketball to kick off NCAA tournament on the road against Tennessee

The Bruins may be on the road, but they still made time to get their nails done together before the Big Dance.

“Being a good road team is really hard,” said coach Cori Close. “(But) we really tend to be very close-knit, so (that allows us) to block out everything else. We’ve been able to take a lot of enjoyment in silencing the crowd on the road and being the underdog.”

With five wins over ranked teams outside Pauley Pavilion this season, No. 6 seed UCLA women’s basketball (20-12, 12-6 Pac-12) will face No. 11 seed Tennessee (19-12, 7-9 SEC) in the first round of the NCAA tournament in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday.

“(Tennessee’s) record is not reflective of obviously their level of talent as well as their level of capability as a team,” Close said. “Tennessee has obviously had its ups and downs, but I think we prepare from the times in which they’ve been their best.”

After hosting the first two rounds and advancing to the Elite Eight last season, UCLA will start its tournament on the road for the first time in three years. There, the Bruins will first face off against a Lady Vol team with a strong reputation.

Former coach Pat Summitt – who holds the most career wins in women’s college basketball – led the Lady Vols to eight national championships, 18 Final Four appearances and 16 Southeastern Conference titles.

“Growing up you hear Tennessee (and) you hear about what Pat Summitt left and her legacy,” said sophomore guard Michaela Onyenwere. “So just a really exciting opportunity and we’re just really excited to be playing against them tomorrow.”

Close found out UCLA’s destination at practice Tuesday after ESPNU mistakenly leaked the bracket too early, so the coach decided to interrupt practice to tell the team.

“It’s a credit to their history,” Close said. “You should’ve seen our players’ faces. … You’re a six seed playing an 11, and ‘Oh, you’re going to be playing Tennessee.’ There was a shock moment. I could see it in their faces.”

Tennessee followed up an 8-0 start to the season with a 4-7 skid. But the Lady Vols have won seven of their last 12, including a competitive 83-68 loss to now-No. 1 seed Mississippi State.

“That was an initial shock, but then you start to go to work and do your homework,” Close said. “This is a matchup, this is what we’re going to have to do to play our best in this matchup and then it becomes a little bit more normalized.”

The Lady Vols own an 18-1 head-to-head all-time record over the Bruins, but UCLA has won its last seven First Round contests. The Bruins are fresh off a semifinal finish at the Pac-12 tournament, where they fell in overtime to now-No. 2 seed Oregon.

“The Pac-12 tournament really gave us an idea of what teams we are going to play against,” said senior guard Kennedy Burke. “Tennessee is a perfect example of them and I think that throughout practice this week we have been preparing well.”

UCLA has won 11 of its last 14 games and should the Bruins win, they will face the winner of No. 3 seed Maryland and No. 14 seed Radford in the Second Round with an opportunity to advance to their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.

“We’ve hit a stride now that we know who we are,” Close said. “We’re excited to be playing our best basketball at the best time.”

Movie review: ‘Us’ offers chilling experience through creative cinematography

Hopefully, you’re not afraid of your shadow.

But if you are, Jordan Peele’s latest venture might not be for you; “Us” highlights the separation of body and soul, good and evil, human and shadow.

An exceptional film that keeps audiences on their toes, Peele’s second directorial work stands equal to his debut. Though it lacks the striking racial commentary of “Get Out,” it incorporates a paradigm-shifting approach to the standard monster movie setup, with visual storytelling that solidifies his masterful cinematic style.

The film details the story of Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family, who are heading to their vacation home in Santa Cruz. After a traumatic childhood experience she once faced at that very beach, she is anxious about returning, but her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) convinces her to go with their children, Jason (Evan Alex) and Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph). Small coincidences and off-putting experiences culminate in a family mysteriously appearing in their driveway. With matching uniforms and a haunting stillness, the exact doppelgangers of Adelaide’s family are intent upon murdering the Wilsons.

[RELATED: Documentary brings in new narratives to spotlight black horror’s rich history]

The film would not have functioned without Nyong’o’s exceptional performance. Her portrayal of Adelaide feels authentic, exploring the complicated feelings of a caring mother who wants to protect her children while also struggling with the anxiety-inducing unknown.

Overall, however, Adelaide is a fairly typical facet of a horror film. What is truly impressive is Nyong’o’s portrayal of Adelaide’s doppelganger. She disturbingly alters her voice to a broken, raspy growl and her mannerisms to be quick and disjointed. As soon as she handcuffs Adelaide to the coffee table and recounts a tale about her younger self, I couldn’t help but shudder.

Playing two characters at once is not an easy feat, and their dynamic is especially captivating, as they each must prove to their respective families that they can handle the situation. The doppelganger begins as a confusingly intimidating demon and ends as a vulnerable and three-dimensional character. By treating the monster like a real character, rather than a poorly developed entity with no motivations, the film becomes much more interesting and, in some ways, more like a drama. Adelaide’s childhood fears seem etched in both characters’ memories, and they visibly understand each other more than the other pairs of clones due to their complicated past with each other that is revealed throughout the film. Though they only have a handful of scenes together, their interactions could warrant a full-length feature film.

While Nyong’o’s performance is essential to the psychological impact of the film, the creative cinematographic choices are key in illuminating its core theme: reflection. When Adelaide’s post-traumatic stress kicks in at the beach, Peele uses visual elements to remind the audience of the dopplegangers awaiting them. As the Wilson family walks across the beach, half of the screen captures their sunlit bodies, and the other half contains only their tall shadows cast in the sand. A red frisbee lands precisely on an identical blue circle design on a blanket. The title sequence is simply a widening shot of cages and cages of rabbits. Once the family arrives, Adelaide’s head is shoved into a cracking mirror. While the refined symbolism cements Peele’s masterful directorial skills, it’s also the reason this horror movie works.

[RELATED: New class explores black horror genre’s themes of survival, racism]

Peele also incorporates comedic moments to the film, which nicely balance the scares. Gabe enters the film as a likable father figure whose family pokes fun at him when he buys a dinky motorboat. A few good dad jokes are thrown around, and the audience can’t help but laugh when he tries to look tough in front of the strange family in the driveway. Even after the atrocities begin, Peele expertly works in the character’s humor, so that you’re unsure if you’re going to laugh or scream next.

The throwback soundtrack only adds to the film’s humor by combining horror with upbeat music. For example, the brutal murdering of another family is underscored with the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” and when they ask their smart speaker to call the police, it instead plays “F— tha Police” by N.W.A. Through music, Peele lets the audience know that they should expect the unexpected.

Excepting the Beach Boys scene, the film focuses on 90’s hip-hop. This music unifies the family early in the movie, which can be seen in their car singing along to “I Got 5 on It” by Luniz. Later, a remix of this song is, entirely unironically and in a bone-chilling manner, integrated into scenes. I would be lying if I said I didn’t go on Spotify afterward to find that specific remix. The creative integration of this song at the beginning and end of the movie, making it act as a motif, is another example of the director manipulating the audience’s expectations.

As the plot unfolds, the backstory gets a bit complicated, and if you aren’t paying close attention, you might get lost in the twists and turns. Nonetheless, Peele effectively sets up a unique premise with a strong leading woman and striking creative choices. Even after the nationwide excitement cultivated by “Get Out,” Peele will leave nobody disappointed.

UCLA Athletics director speaks on bribery scheme, explains admissions process

UCLA Athletics director Dan Guerrero issued a statement Friday concerning the involvement of UCLA Athletics in the bribery scheme admitting students to universities as student-athletes.

According to court records released on March 12, UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo was one of many allegedly involved in the scheme, which included the facilitation of cheating on college entrance exams.

“The behavior described in the allegations is disturbing and unacceptable,” Guerrero said in the statement. “Representing this university with character and integrity is paramount, not just for me, but for every coach, staff member and student-athlete.”

Salcedo resigned Thursday for his alleged involvement in the scheme.

Guerrero outlined the admissions process of student-athletes in the statement. Student-athletes are evaluated on both their athletic ability and academic preparation, Guerrero said. Coaches of the student-athletes’ respective sports submit a list of candidates to athletic administration officials who review the candidates and present them to the University’s Student-Athlete Admissions Committee, Guerrero said.

“Inherent in the process is a level of trust that the administration places in the coaches and their evaluations of the abilities and talent levels of prospective student-athletes,” Guerrero said in the statement.

Guerrero added that athletes will be admitted if the committee, which consists of admissions administrators and other faculty members, believes the student-athlete will succeed academically and graduate from UCLA. Prospective student-athletes must be NCAA-eligible and none of them will be offered any indication of admission without approval by the committee, Guerrero said.

He said while athletic administration officials present candidates to the committee, they do not have a vote in admissions decisions.

“We believe that our process is among the most demanding and thorough in collegiate athletics but, as the recent news illustrates, it is not foolproof,” Guerrero said in the statement. “Despite the fact that we have confidence in the existing process, a breach of the system can obviously occur when individuals choose to act unethically, and contrary to the level of integrity that we expect.”

Guerrero added that the athletic department is reviewing the admissions process to avoid bribery issues in the future.

Salcedo will appear in federal court Monday on the charge of conspiracy to commit racketeering.

UCLA Athletics announces resignation of men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo

UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo has resigned, according to UCLA Senior Associate Athletic Director of Communications, Shana Wilson.

Salcedo was one of the suspects allegedly involved in a bribery scheme helping admit students to universities as student-athletes who had not played the sport competitively. UCLA spokesperson Tod Tamberg announced March 12 that Salcedo was placed on leave and would not have any involvement with the team while the matter was under review.

[RELATED: UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo charged in college admissions bribery scheme]

Salcedo coached his 15th season for the Bruins in 2018. The former UCLA All-American led the Bruins to a 172-80-42 overall record and was the second-longest tenured men’s soccer coach in program history.

During his time in Westwood, Salcedo signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation seven times. He most recently roped in the best recruiting class in the nation in 2018, following UCLA’s worst season since 1948 after a 7-10-1 record in 2017.

Salcedo has guided the Bruins to six Pac-12 titles and 14 NCAA championship appearances in the last 15 seasons.