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UCLA women's basketball downs Cal 87-53 in an exhibition match
- Story byUCLA Wire
- UCLA women's basketball downs Cal 87-53 in an exhibition match
The defending champions were back in action Tuesday night, as the UCLA Bruins knocked off the California Golden Bears in an exhibition game 87-53 . The new-look Bruins handled business against their old Pac-12 Conference rivals.
Cori Close is back for the Bruins but most of her players are new, with the Bruins fielding a largely new team after winning the NCAA championship a season ago. UCLA led throughout on Tuesday before blowing things open in the fourth, scoring 30 points in the game's final quarter.
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UCLA headed up to Northern California for the exhibition, the Bruins brought their jumpshot for the trek up Highway 101, shooting 69% from three in the game. Close rolled with a starting lineup of Elina Aarnisalo , Donovyn Hunter, Bonnie Deas, Timea Gardiner and Sienna Betts .
Aarnisalo led all scorers with 20 points, hitting 4-5 of her three point attempts. Aarnisalo is back with UCLA after spending a season away from the Bruins with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Betts also starred in the exhibition, scoring 11 points while collecting 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Gardiner returned after missing all of last season with injury. The experienced forward didn't show any rust, scoring 11 points (3-4 from three) in just 22 minutes. Off the bench, freshman Somto Okafor scored 15 points on 7-9 shooting with six rebounds and four assists. Notre Dame transfer KK Bransford added 14 points in just 15 minutes against Cal.
Back-to-back national titles will be a tall order for a UCLA team that lost five players to the WNBA, but there's still plenty of reason for optimism in Westwood for the Bruins.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA women's basketball downs Cal 87-53 in an exhibition match
