LOS ANGELES -- Gabriela Jaquez didn't appear on the Wooden Award watchlist as the season got underway in Westwood.
A plethora of her teammates made the cut - senior center Lauren Betts, senior guard Kiki Rice, graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens and freshman forward Sienna Betts - but Jaquez remained on the outskirts of inclusion. Coach Cori Close knows she has handfuls of stars on the Bruins at the ready. But nine games into the 2025-2026 season, Jaquez may be the star that college basketball will learn to point to at Pauley Pavilion.
Leaving the 6-foot wing alone in the corner has become a threat in and of itself. Jaquez missed one three-pointer in the first half against No. 14 Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, sinking 4 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc.
Active defensively, she helped spark a 13-2 run to end the second quarter -- holding the Lady Volunteers to a 1-for-11 shooting skid -- to lead by 10 at halftime, the Pauley Pavilion crowd rising to its feet in ovation.
When Close uttered Jaquez's name during a halftime interview, the Pauley faithful roared in response. With WNBA scouts courtside - a close-up view of the ranked action - Jaquez emerged comfortably as one of the best players in the nation in a 99-77 victory, No. 3 UCLA (8-1) continuing to brush aside a defeat to No. 4 Texas last week after taking down Duke and Tennessee (5-2) in consecutive fashion.
The Camarillo native finished the contest with a season-high 29 points (on 10-of-14 shooting and 5 of 6 from three), one off her career-high. Jaquez started her scoring barrage with a strip steal of former Bruin Janiah Barker, pulling up for a three as a Volunteers' defender slid to the floor. Even on a rare poor look, watching Barker close down on her near the end of the first quarter, the Lady Volunteers' leading scorer crashed into Jaquez, sending her to the ground.
Jaquez sank all three free throws to extend UCLA's lead to 24-15.
Barker, however, had her fun in her return to Pauley Pavilion. The senior forward who spent the 2024-2025 season as a role player on UCLA's Final Four run has been Tennessee’s starting gem.
Tennessee’s 6-foot-4 forward survived a late close-out from Jaquez – who matched up against her former teammate all game – at the end of the first quarter, draining a buzzer-beater three-pointer as she posed on the floor. Outside of Barker’s team-leading 25 points, however, the Lady Volunteers couldn’t keep pace after squandering their short-lived second-quarter lead.When Jaquez combined for back-to-back three pointers with Kneepkens for a proverbial dagger, leading 71-53 with 1:46 left in the third quarter, Pauley Pavilion couldn’t help but rouse in cheers again as Tennessee called a timeout.
Bruin fans had Jaquez on their team, writing her name further into the Jaquez legacy at Pauley Pavilion.
Senior center Lauren Betts (left arm) returned to action after missing Thursday’s victory over Duke. Betts played 29 minutes in a muted seven-point performance after tallying two early fouls.