Wiping a tear from her eye, Lauren Betts became overwhelmed by emotion before she even stepped onto the court to receive her senior day gifts.
“It’s my mom’s fault,” the UCLA center joked. “She started it.”
Plenty more tears were shed on a Sunday afternoon drenched with sentimental moments inside Pauley Pavilion as the Bruins honored a women’s basketball senior class unlike any other.
What might be the greatest collection of talent in program history gave itself a happy sendoff with the second-ranked team’s 80-60 victory over Wisconsin.
The seniors checked out as a group with 13 seconds left as fans roared in appreciation, guard Gabriela Jaquez waving to the crowd and others exchanging hugs.
“One of them said the other day,” coach Cori Close said of her six seniors, “I might not ever play on a team like this again.”
After the Bruins (27-1, 17-0 Big Ten) pulled away from the Badgers for their 21st consecutive victory, they hoisted the conference’s regular-season championship trophy at center court while wearing commemorative hats.
It was UCLA’s first outright conference regular-season title.
“That’s the reason we all came here,” Jaquez said, “to do things that UCLA has never done before and to win a lot of games and win championships.”
Close choked up as she praised what she described as arguably the best women’s team in school history.
“I could not be more proud of them as their coach,” Close said in a courtside interview broadcast to the arena.
The Bruins are now one victory over USC away from becoming the first team from the Big Ten to go unbeaten in the regular season since Maryland during the 2014-15 season.
The day started with heartfelt appreciation. Walking onto the court accompanied by family members, each senior received a hug from Close and other staff members while also getting a bouquet of flowers and a framed collage of photos.
This is a class that’s generated a slew of memorable moments.
Kiki Rice and Jaquez have been an increasing rarity in the college game, staying with the same team all four years in the transfer portal era. Forward Angela Dugalic has been with the team five years – including one season shortened by injury and another in which she sat out – after transferring from Oregon. Betts has been with the Bruins three years after transferring from Stanford.
The class also includes guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, who’s been a perfect complement to Rice as a facilitator, and sharpshooter Gianna Kneepkens.
“The whole morning I was kind of reflecting on my experience here at UCLA and how grateful I am to be here and the people here have just really made this experience special for me,” Betts said. “I’m just so grateful for all of my other seniors who I’ve been able to play with this year and past years. I just love these girls so much, so it’s been a really emotional day.”
The Bruins could play at least two more games on their home court this season considering they’re assured of hosting first- and second-round games in the NCAA Tournament as one of the top seeds.
The seniors’ special journey together could have more than a month to go.
“We always tell them the only two things you get to take with you from these four years is who you become and who you impact,” Close said. “In the end, banners hang in gyms and rings collect dust, but you get to keep who you become and who you impact forever, and I think these six understand they’re pretty proud of who they’ve become. And they really want to continue to impact each other.”
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