UCLA, Cal Baptist, Creighton and UNLV comprise “one of the most difficult and complete first and second rounds,” according to UCLA coach Cori Close.
UCLA players huddle at center court after their 62-44 victory over Washington on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion. Four women’s basketball teams will pile into Pauley Pavilion this weekend for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament: No. 2 seed UCLA, No. 7 Creighton, No. 10 UNLV and No. 15 Cal Baptist.
The teams make up one of four groups in the Albany Regional 2, which is one of the most challenging regionals in the bracket with UCLA, No. 1 Iowa, No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Kansas State in the mix. UCLA, Iowa and LSU were ranked in the top eight in the most recent AP Top 25 rankings and Kansas State was the 15th-ranked team.
Cal Baptist has had a steady ascent through the ranks of college basketball. The Lancers competed as an NAIA program since 1969 before moving to NCAA Division II in the 2013-14 season. They began the transition to NCAA Division I in 2018. Anaiyah Tu’ua, a 5-foot-9 guard, was named All-Tournament after averaging 19 points and putting up 22 points, five rebounds and four steals in the championship game.
The team finished second in the Big East behind a starting lineup that features all seniors. All-Big East players Lauren Jensen, Emma Ronsiek and Morgan Maly lead the group. Each of them averages at least 15 points per game and the Bluejays as a whole have scored 30 or more points in a quarter on five different occasions this season.
The Rebels rank in the top seven nationally in two different scoring categories. They hold the No. 6 scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 21 points, and are the No. 7 team in bench points with an average of 28.8 per game.
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