LOS ANGELES — For the first time this century, the UCLA women’s basketball team earned at least a share of a regular-season conference title. It’s a surprising notion given the Bruins’ consistent success, especially considering the 82-67 victory over Washington that let UCLA check that histo ric box on Thursday night, was more about its shortcomings. UCLA’s journey to the top spot in the Big Ten, along with clinching the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, has been a smooth path. While Thursday’s win was definitive, it didn’t match the dominant performances the Bruins (26-1 overall, 16-0 Big Ten) have grown accustomed to. “I think we sometimes stop playing connected basketball,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said afterward. “It’s really easy to lose sight of that.” Lauren Betts led the Bruins with 23 points and eight rebounds, Gianna Kneepkens scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Charlisse Leger-Walker contributed eight assists. UCLA treated much of Thursday’s game like a practice, experimenting with offensive sets and full-court press looks. But lapses of focus disrupted that process. With 4.1 seconds left in the first half, Amanda Muse underthrew Betts on a cross-court inbound pass and Washington’s Hannah Stines intercepted the toss. Close shrugged in disbelief, stunned that Muse couldn’t hit the tallest target on the court, in the 6-foot-7 Betts, frustrated that the Bruins couldn’t execute a simple play. Close’s angst was further directed at a sequence of errors UCLA committed, allowing Washington (19-8, 9-7) to end the first half on a 9-4 run. Betts forced a baseline jump shot. Leger-Walker rushed a 3-point shot. Washington’s Teagen Brown slipped behind the Bruins’ defense for an easy layup. Leger-Walker turned it over, and Muse threw the ball away. To that point, the Bruins had been dominant. They had assists on 10 of their 13 made baskets and scored 22 points in the paint, but that was erased in the final minutes of the first half. “On all categories, we just lost focus,” Close said. “The feeling of urgency that on every possession we’ve got to be competing to win. You’re not going to win every possession, but you have to have a focus on the controllables. “We’re going all out in terms of controlling things under our control. You’ve got to not have careless turnovers. You’ve got to control rebounds. You’ve got to control your attitude and effort, and I didn’t think in the last five minutes of the second quarter we did that.” To help reset, UCLA held one of its patented honesty circles before the start of the second half. The Bruins responded with a quick six points. Kiki Rice found Betts inside. Gabriela Jaquez forced a missed shot with timely help-side defense, before kicking it ahead to Rice. Then Leger-Walker stole a pass and found Betts for another basket. Betts blocked Byrnn McGaughy’s jump shot, kicked ahead to Rice, who found Gianna Kneepkens for a 3-pointer. UCLA unleashed a full-court press toward the end of the third quarter. A trap in the corner forced a Huskies timeout. Washington’s Chloe Briggs turned the ball over coming out of that break. Then after a pair of Jaquez free throws, Rice stepped in front of Briggs’ next inbound pass, stealing it and drawing a foul. The Bruins extended their lead in the fourth quarter. Leger-Walker navigated a double-team late in the shot clock, finding Kneepkens for a 3-pointer. Rice went coast-to-coast, scooping in a left-handed layup. “She wasn’t even looking at me but I knew she was going to pass it to me,” Kneepkens said. “I think any shooter, or person in the country wants to play with someone like Charlisse.” Leger-Walker’s selfless plays are the ones that will help UCLA down the stretch. It’s what led Close to harp on the importance guard play holds in March, whether it’s Leger-Walker or Rice creating for themselves or their teammates. That was present for the majority of Thursday’s game, but the brief lapses are glaring because of UCLA’s constant dominance. The Bruins can learn from them to ensure they don’t happen at a point that could have real repercussions to their goals. Related Articles No. 2 UCLA women set sights on Washington with an eye to the future UCLA women roll past Indiana for 19th straight win No. 2 UCLA women look to continue Big Ten dominance Lauren Betts, No. 2 UCLA overpower No. 13 Michigan State No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball holds off No. 8 Michigan ...read more read less