Draining threes is just what the UCLA sophomore does.
Jones’ career-high 23 points, including seven-of-10 three-point shooting, led No. 12 UCLA to an 82-52 win over No. 18 Utah on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion. Jones’ red-hot shooting started UCLA’s final push toward the postseason with a dominant victory that avenged an overtime loss to the Utes in Salt Lake City last month.
Sophomore Lauren Betts added 14 points and six rebounds, and fifth-year guard Charisma Osborne, playing in the final regular-season homestand of her career, had 13 points and seven assists.
The Bruins (21-5, 10-5 Pac-12) entered the weekend in a tie with the Utes (19-8, 9-6 Pac-12) for fifth in the conference with two weeks remaining before the Pac-12 tournament. After Stanford, which is 12-2, five teams separated by one game are fighting for the final three first-round byes in the tournament.
Hosting Utah and No. 11 Colorado, which is in a three-team logjam for second in the standings at 10-4, the Bruins understand what’s at stake this weekend. It’s exactly why coach Cori Close has deleted apps like ESPN from her phone, eliminating any potential distractions.
“All of the pressure or just sort of distractions come from living from past regret or fear of the future or being outcome driven,” Close said this week. “Whichever of the teams can stay most present focused over the next four games one by one and not just have that be lip service, I think those are going to be the ones that end up on top.”
UCLA was laser-focused from the start Thursday.
The Bruins raced to a 12-0 lead, forcing three Utah turnovers before the Utes scored their first basket. They polished off the first half with six consecutive points to take a 14-point lead at the break. They piled on with a 14-0 run during the third quarter that pushed their lead to 27. A sixth three-pointer from Jones, who leads the Pac-12 three-pointers per game, put the Bruins up by 30 early in the fourth .
Even reigning Pac-12 player of the year Alissa Pili scoring eight of her 20 points in the fourth quarter couldn’t challenge the Bruins. Pili finished with a double-double, adding 11 rebounds.
The Bruins play their final home game of the regular season Monday against Colorado before playing Arizona State (Feb. 29) and Arizona (March 2) on the road.