UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) is defended by Maryland guard Addi Mack, left, and forward Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu as she drives to the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (5) fouls Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger as she drives to the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) reacts on the bench after a 3-point basket by her sister, UCLA forward Sienna Betts (not shown), during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) UCLA forward Angela Dugalić, left, and UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, box out Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa (7) on the free throw line during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) UCLA forward Sienna Betts (16) and Maryland guard Yarden Garzon reach for a rebound during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens (8) is defended by Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger as she looks to shoot the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, right, is defended by Maryland guard Saylor Poffenbarger (6) as she drives to the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa, left, and UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, front right, reach for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) Show Caption1 of 8UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) is defended by Maryland guard Addi Mack, left, and forward Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu as she drives to the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea) Expand LOS ANGELES — No. 3 UCLA juggled a travel hiccup on its way back from Minnesota. When the Bruins arrived at the airport, their pilot was sick. Pivoting due to delays, the team drove back to the hotel, where they slept for three hours before resuming their flight plans back to Westwood at 5 a.m. Charlisse Leger-Walker awoke Friday morning under the weather, run-down from the Big Ten road trip. The graduate student guard didn’t practice, watching from a chair in a team-issued grey sweatshirt as she intensely followed a practice that coach Cori Close deemed as not “intense” enough for her standards. “I think you’re always learning something on the sideline,” said Leger-Walker, who spent the 2024-25 season watching as she recovered from a torn ACL. “And that’s kind of the mindset that I have, and this whole team has, for sure.” Barking orders, Leger-Walker shared critique and advice, much like the player-coach that Close has often called the former Washington State transfer. And on Sunday afternoon, when game time arrived, the Bruins weren’t without their pilot. Leger-Walker guided UCLA (17-1, 7-0 Big Ten) to a 97-67 victory over No. 12 Maryland with a near-triple-double effort, tallying 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, hardly challenged by the conference’s fourth-highest-ranked squad. During the second quarter, Close brought Leger-Walker to the sideline for a breather. Over the next 30 seconds, the Bruins committed two turnovers – an errant pass out of bounds and an offensive foul by graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens – and so, Close quickly recalled Leger-Walker to the court. The Kiwi international guard had 13 points at halftime alone – knocking down 4 of 8 looks from beyond the arc, matching Kneepkens, who, entering the game, shot at a 45.8% clip from 3-point range. Close spoke earlier this week about how, across the two-game road trip, her team’s offensive possessions weren’t up to par, but because of their overall talent, UCLA still found ways to score and win by double digits. UCLA’s 15th-year head coach shouted at her team while leading 18-13 near the end of the first quarter after senior forward Angela Dugalic tossed the ball out of bounds and then got called for a moving screen on the following offensive possession. “What are we doing?” Close told her Bruins, who turned the ball over 16 times Sunday. “Get on the same page.” Even when sloppy possessions arose against Maryland (17-3, 5-3) at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA exposed a 46-to-24 rebounding advantage and a team-wide 63% from the field effort (56.3% from distance) to expand its lead. Eventually, UCLA turned on cruise control; the Bruins outscored the Terrapins by 14 points in the third quarter to secure their 11th consecutive win and ninth Quad-1 victory, the most in the nation. “Bottom line is we made winning plays,” Close said. “And that’s against a very good Maryland team.” UCLA’s effort was on full display. To start the Bruins’ scoring in the second quarter, senior guard Kiki Rice muscled her way into the paint for a layup – and then on the other end stuffed Terrapins guard Oluchi Okananwa’s fastbreak-layup attempt. In the first half alone, Kneepkens sprawled out on the floor for six loose balls, attempting to keep a possession alive or guarantee a rebound. “I think in this program, we’re kind of built – our foundation is on effort plays and making sure we’re getting the extra possession,” Kneepkens said. UCLA ground Maryland down on both ends of the hardwood. It didn’t matter that senior center Lauren Betts spent most of the second half on the bench with four fouls to her name, or that Rice scored just eight points. The Bruins had Leger-Walker. To close out an end-to-end dominating effort, she brought out a trick from the Harlem Globetrotters, an over-the-shoulder no-look dime to senior guard Gabriela Jaquez to give UCLA an 86-58 advantage. I just saw (Jaquez) cut from the weak-side corner, and we kind of had a split second when we made eye contact,” Leger-Walker said. “It was either going to be a really bad play or a really great play.” Close, who has often called Leger-Walker the “pulse” of her team, felt the trickery on display emphasized the type of player her graduate student has become at UCLA. “The crowd’s getting to see what I get to see every day,” Close said. “And I want her to feel empowered, and she’s earned that.” Kneepkens finished with 16 points, while Jaquez led the team on Sunday with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. Related Articles UCLA’s Kiki Rice takes next step in her senior season Rice, Betts lead No. 3 UCLA women past Minnesota for 10th straight win Lauren Betts leads No. 4 UCLA to dominant win over No. 25 Nebraska Gianna Kneepkens went from long shot to sure shot for No. 4 UCLA Alexander: UCLA, USC show women’s basketball is thriving in L.A. ...read more read less