The UCLA-tOSU game was interesting to see. UCLA eked out a 7 point win in a game they looked to be on the verge of blowing them out several times. But somehow they couldn't manage to pull away. The game was entirely decided by two things -- 1) a huge rebounding advantage and 2) tOSU's ice cold perimeter shooting in the first half. There's no way a team that small can challenge UCLA's size advantage without being red-hot from 3.
Lauren had her usual game (18 pts, 16 rebounds). She got away with a couple of fouls on blocked shots and complained about not getting a whistle when Jaloni blocked hers. I'm becoming more impressed by her game, at least on the college level. I mean, she's still limited to points in the paint, but she is actually quite good about not fouling. The two I thought she got away with were on aggressive blocks that weren't essential. She can cut down on those and still dominate. And she is quite good at positional basketball, which protects from fouls on rebounds.
Sienna looked alternately plodding and effective in her few minutes. I think she'll look better as she regains her shape, though I doubt she'll be a huge contributor this season. The other bright spot was Dugalic, who is a very reliable utility big at both ends of the court. Rice had a pretty good line at 16,4,4 but was not effective against Jaloni and was one reason why they couldn't close the game out sooner. It was a similar story for Kneepkens (12,5,2) but also too slow to really seal off the lane. Jaquez had another good line, with 12 points and 8 rebounds, and the rebounds were her most important contribution. But she's had better games in which she simply made more plays. Leger-Walker seemed ineffective, still slowed perhaps by the injury, and this looks like a problem for UCLA down the road, namely guard depth. I have a feeling this would hurt them against SC as it did against Texas. I wonder how they'll do against Michigan, who isn't as big, but has superior guard play. That game might be an opportunity for the Wolverines.
For tOSU, it was the Jaloni show again with some assistance from Lemmilä and Todd. But she needs more help than that. She's an incandescent talent, but even she can't carry them against a team as big as this. It was like watching her try to grapple a sumo wrestler all by herself. This is where the loss of McMahon really looms large. She's not a big, but she's a muscular energetic presence on the court. That could have made enough of a difference in this game.