LOS ANGELES — Kiki Rice has always been mild-mannered in front of the media, unafraid to honestly analyze what has and hasn’t worked in her first three years as a Bruin.
The antithesis of such an approach would be aggressive; the type of basketball that Coach Cori Close has wanted the senior guard to embrace, the intense off- and on-ball defense with physical and confident shot-making – knowing the WNBA is watching No. 3 UCLA (16-1 overall, 6-0 Big Ten) with an eagle’s eye this season.
Midway through the season, a journey where Rice’s last shot at a national championship as a Bruin is at risk, Close feels as if the Bethesda, Maryland native has taken that next step in her career.
Rice is averaging 15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals through 17 games, all of which are second best on the Bruins – either behind senior center Lauren Betts or graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker. But don’t knock the lack of top-ranking statistics. Close called Rice’s efforts in UCLA’s 83-61 victory over Nebraska on Sunday her “most-active, dominating play” as a Bruin, controlling the game with off-ball defensive movement that caused deflections and turnovers, and boxing out for her teammates as well for team rebounds (a stat Close calls an assist box out).
“Sometimes consistency doesn’t get rewarded and talked about enough, and Kiki has been so consistent in her growth in that way,” Close said Friday, adding that she hopes her freshman players study Rice’s preparation and skills.
When UCLA hosts No. 12 Maryland (17-2, 5-2) on Sunday at 1 p.m. – a reminder of her Washington D.C.-based high school, Sidwell Friends School – in a Big Ten clash, Rice will search to resume such consistency.
“I think a big step for me has been defensively, just finding out how I can be really disruptive,” said Rice, who said Friday that she learned from watching former UCLA guard Gina Conti when she was a freshman. “We know we have Lauren (Betts) as an anchor down low in the post, but as guards, we knew we needed to step up and pressure the ball, making the lives of their guards difficult.”
Maryland, like Rice, has shown aggression, taking down the likes of Minnesota, USC, Indiana, and Wisconsin with its non-stop rebounding efforts, which Close referred to on Friday as a challenge to handle. The Terrapins average the 19th-most rebounds in the nation and have conceded the seventh-fewest rebounds per game.
But while UCLA remains undefeated in conference play, Maryland has shown lapses against ranked foes – its only losses coming to No. 25 Illinois and No. 14 Ohio State. “We always have to understand that, because we have been playing well and doing well, that everyone’s gonna give us our best,” senior guard Gabriela Jaquez said, “and so we have to come out ready to play.”
No. 12 MARYLAND at No. 3 UCLA
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV: NBC (Ch. 4)
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