Jones leads No. 12 UCLA over Utah
LOS ANGELES >> The UCLA women’s basketball team often blocks off a portion of its practice to run over actions intended to feed a player who has the “hot hand.”
On Wednesday, head coach Cori Close chose Londynn Jones to be that player.
For 15 minutes, each set was created for her to be the go-to scoring option. She’d pop off elevator screens, curl to the basket and shoot off the catch.
“Londynn is our leading 3-point shooter,” Close said Thursday. “So for us to learn how to create easier threes for her, that’s an important team thing. … As a coach, when you prepare for something and then you get a chance to execute it with high efficiency, that’s always really good.”
That drill showed its worth on Thursday night when Jones scored a career-high 23 points and made a career-high seven 3-point shots as the 12th-ranked Bruins never trailed while routing No. 18 Utah, 82-52, to avenge an overtime loss a month ago.
While Wednesday’s drill was curated to Jones -- a former Inland area star and Centennial High grad -- it seemed like it could have been anyone in that spot based on the Bruins’ offensive showing on Thursday. They shot 49% from the field and 39% from 3-point range, assisting on 24 of their 32 field goals.
Lauren Betts had 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bruins (21-5 overall, 10-5 Pac-12), while Charisma Osborne had 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Betts, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, anchored a defense that held Utah (19-8, 9-6) – the NCAA’s No. 6 offense in points per game – to its second-lowest total of the season and it was her presence in the paint that helped spark Jones’ outburst.
UCLA, which snapped a three-game skid against the Utes after losing 94-81 in Salt Lake City, started the rematch on a 12-0 run that was sparked by its defense and Betts’ quick decision-making on offense.
The Utes sent a double team at Betts on each catch and she navigated it with quick post moves, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the first half.
“I struggled with that a lot the last time we played them,” Betts said of Utah’s pesky coverage. “That’s what we worked on all week in practice, so I was prepared for today.”
The Utes briefly cut the margin to nine in the third quarter, but the Bruins extended their lead quickly after by getting it inside to Betts, who embraced the defensive double-teams and sprayed the ball to open teammates on the perimeter.
The Bruins outscored the Utes 20-9 in the third quarter, Jones hitting three 3-pointers during that run. Betts launched that spurt by grabbing Kiki Rice’s missed 3-point attempt and scoring. A couple of plays later, Betts snagged a defensive rebound and passed to Rice, who fed Angela Dugalic for a basket. Rice finished with 13 points and six assists.
Jones, a 5-4 sophomore, made two more 3-pointers in the fourth.
Osborne and Jones both had two steals and the Bruins scored 26 of their 82 points off of 20 Utah turnovers.
On a night when Jones set two career highs, Close was more impressed with her defense because she had challenged her point guard to focus on that side of the ball and the effort showed.
“I’m really passionate about defense,” Jones said.