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UCLA Basketball moves on in the Pac-12 tourney behind 24 from Dean

By Mike Regalado

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: A basketball is shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: A basketball is shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The #4 UCLA basketball women’s team were in complete control in their Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal win over #5 Arizona State behind a solid game from Japreece Dean.

If you wanted a sample of what the UCLA basketball women’s team will look like next season, this win over ASU was a sneak peek. The Bruins were in control all game long as two-time senior Japreece Dean logged 24 points to help the Bruins to a win in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.

A day after finding out that she has been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, Dean led the Bruins on a charge through their quarterfinal matchup. She helped the Bruins jump out to an early lead in the first quarter and was held a comfortable lead through halftime, 41-31.

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Dean had scored in double-digits by the break as she attacked the rim at will. In fact, the entire team looked to score inside as UCLA only attempted 4 three-pointers. Their other 50 shots were from inside the arc and did a good job of landing those high-percentage shots as they went 52.0% for the game.

UCLA’s leading scorer Michaela Onyenwere was able to put up 20 points as she dominated in the paint. Kennedy Burle also joined the double-digit party with 15 while Lajahna Drummer had 10 points and 6 rebounds.

The Bruins move on to face the winner of the second quarterfinal game, #1 Oregon and #8 Arizona. That game will tipoff at 6:00 p.m. PT on Saturday and will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Network.

The Bruins have defeated both the Wildcats and Ducks this season, which includes a memorable 74-69 win over then-#2 Oregon a few weeks ago in Eugene.

With today’s victory, head coach Cori Close and her Bruins have now logged their fourth consecutive 20 win season, have won 11 out of the last 13 games, have defeated six ranked teams, and are riding a three-game win streak. This is some good momentum for the Bruins as they look to boost their resume for the NCAA Tournament.

But first things first, #BeatArizonaOrOregon!