No. 4-Seed UCLA Prepares for No. 1-Seed South Carolina Saturday

Greenville, S.C. – UCLA Women's Basketball (27-9, 11-7 Pac-12) takes on the top-seeded, undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks (34-0, 16-0 SEC) Saturday in Greenville, S.C., at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
 
Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on Saturday, Mar. 25; the game is set to be broadcast on ESPN with Beth Mowins, Debbie Antonelli and Angel Gray on the call.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Venue: Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Location: Greenville, S.C.
Tip-off Time: 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
TV Talent: Beth Mowins, Debbie Antonelli, Angel Gray
Radio: UCLA Digital Radio
Radio Talent: Dave Marcus
 
COACH'S CORNER
 
"When I was going through the line after the game [in South Carolina], [Dawn Staley] says, 'We will meet again,'" the Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach recalls from the Bruins' November matchup. "I would have rather it been in the Final Four, but […] our players have a great amount of confidence. Because of the way that they competed.
 
[South Carolina is] better, we're better. They are a tremendous team. They're undefeated for a reason. They're really, really talented. But we're really talented too and we're growing in our confidence. The thing I love about this team is that they really -- I think I mentioned this before, they're really good learners. So, I didn't know if we would meet 'em again, but I definitely wanted to learn some important lessons from that so we would be ready if we got the opportunity."
 
LAST TIME OUT (W, 82-73 vs. No. 5-seed Oklahoma – Mar. 20)
 
The Bruins opened the gates hot, shooting 47.2% from the field in the first half. UCLA jumped out to a 13-point lead at the break; Charisma Osborne. After a shaky third quarter in which Oklahoma shot a scorching 10-for-13, the Bruins answered in the fourth to take home the victory.
 
Osborne had a career-high 36 points in the win over the Sooners, marking the most points scored in a single game by a Bruin in program postseason history. Kiki Rice (14 points: 3-4 FG, 7-8 FT) joined the senior as the only other Bruin in double figures. The two were a combined 16-for-17 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, helping UCLA outscore Oklahoma 29-19 in the final frame.
 
KEY NOTES ON THE BRUINS
 
• UCLA has made 463 free throws this season, shooting 77.9% on the year. UCLA is on pace for its best FT shooting season performance in team history (2021-22: .767 FT%).  After leading the Pac-12 all season in O-boards (14.9 ORPG), the Bruins rank 19th in ORPG in the NCAA tournament (12.5 ORPG). UCLA boasts a conference-best 1.48 Assist/Turnover Ratio with their first and second round performances, and the Bruins are 8th in the nation in the category.
• UCLA is one of two teams in Division I women's basketball with a scoring margin of -6.0 or less in its losses (min. 5 losses): Houston (16 L, -4.9), UCLA (9 L, -5.9).
• Saturday's trip to the Sweet 16 will be the eighth in program history (1985, 1992, 1999, 2016-2019, 2023).
• Charisma Osborne has scored 557 points (2nd - Pac-12) in 35 games, averaging 15.9 ppg (5th - Pac-12). She is 3rd in the Pac-12 in field goals made (195 FGM) on the most field goal attempts (502 FGA) in the Pac-12. Osborne ranks 1st the Pac-12 in minutes played (1,157 MIN), 6th in FT% (83.2%), and 6th in FTM (114). The senior has 1,784 career points, most recently passing Anita Ortega (1,751 PTS) and Monique Billings (1,761 PTS) for 10th on UCLA's all-time scoring list.
• Kiki Rice has started 35 of her 36 games during the freshman's first collegiate season, averaging 28.0 minutes per game (1,009 MIN, 1st among Pac-12 freshmen). The first-year floor general ranks second on the team in assists (110 AST), which is the second most among freshmen in the Pac-12 (9th overall).