Kiki Rice scored 20 points and dominated in all facets to lead No. 8 UCLA to a 53–45 victory over No. 13 Colorado on the night of Feb. 26 in Los Angeles and lift the Bruins into a three-way tie for second in the Pac-12.
The top four teams in the conference get a bye in the first round of the conference tournament next month. UCLA (22–5, 11–5 Pac-12) and Colorado (20–7, 10–6) entered the game tied for fourth place, but the Buffaloes slipped into a tie for fifth.
Along with leading all scorers in the game, Rice tied for the game high in rebounds (nine), led the Bruins in assists (four) and led all players with three blocks. She also was one of three UCLA players with two steals.
Jaylyn Sherrod was the only Colorado player to score in double digits, winding up with 10 points.
The Bruins jumped all over the Buffaloes early, scoring eight of the game’s first 10 points and holding a 17–7 lead at the end of the first period.
Colorado battled back to take the lead at 32–31 with 4:34 left in the third period, but back-to-back baskets by Londynn Jones—a 3-pointer and a layup—gave UCLA a 36–32 lead, and the Bruins never trailed again.
UCLA increased its winning streak to three games, while Colorado lost its fourth game in a row.
