Bruins to Compete in Gulf Coast Showcase in November

Estero, Fla. – UCLA Women's Basketball is set to compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., from Nov. 26-28 following the Thanksgiving holiday. The tournament owns the reputation as the premier in-season event in all of women's college basketball.
 
"Since its inception, the Gulf Coast Showcase has attracted the very best in women's college basketball," said Women's Tournament Director and CBS/ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli. "I fully expect to see six or seven teams in this year's field playing in the NCAA Tournament in March and our champion competing for a Final Four berth."
 
The Bruins will be joined in Florida by UMass, Kent State, Charlotte, Penn State, and St. John's, as well as 2021 NCAA Tournament participants Iowa State and South Dakota State.
 
Notably, The Michael Price UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach Cori Close is currently the head coach of Team USA's U19 team for the FIBA U19 World Cup, with South Dakota State Head Coach Aaron Johnston serving as an assistant coach on Close's staff.
 
The Bruins' run in the eight-team tournament kicks off with a matchup against Kent State on Friday, Nov. 26 at 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT. Should the Bruins advance, the team would face the winner of South Dakota State vs. UMass in the semifinals on Nov. 27 (5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT) before moving on to the championship game on Nov. 28 (7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT).
 
Ticket and fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resorts, can be found at the official event websites – www.gulfcoastshowcase.com or www.naplesinvitational.com – and on social media at @GCShowcase.
 
The Bruins are coming off a 2020-21 campaign that saw them finish 17-6 after advancing to their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament. Michaela Onyenwere earned AP All-America honors before being drafted as the sixth overall pick in the WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty. Charisma Osborne returns after picking up All-Pac-12 accolades in 2020. UCLA features a set of new faces this upcoming season with the additions of transfers Gina Conti (Wake Forest), Angela Dugalić (Oregon), Jaelynn Penn (Indiana), and IImar'I Thomas (Cincinnati). Izzy Anstey is also set to play in her first season with the program after not being able to enter the country from her native Australia due to travel restrictions last year.