No. 10 UCLA women rout North Carolina A&T, 83-42 (Dec 20, 2016)
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) With her team playing its second road game in three days, coach Cori Close was just hoping UCLA would find a way to get better against North Carolina A&T on the Aggies' home court.
The Bruins did just that in an emphatic manner.
Monique Billings and Kari Korver scored 15 points apiece to lead five players in double figures as No. 10 UCLA coasted to a 83-42 win against North Carolina A&T on Tuesday.
Jordin Canada had 12 points and 10 assists for the Bruins (9-2), who are off to their best start since opening the 2010-11 season with 10 straight wins.
Coming off a disappointing loss against No. 6 South Carolina on Sunday, UCLA dominated in all areas to head into the Christmas break.
''Our biggest goal we had for today was to finish strong and get better,'' Close said. ''It's very easy for kids to be halfway out the door for Christmas break. Overall, we just wanted to stay hungry and I thought we were able to do that. But I also think there's more in us, and I think we're going to find it.''
Kennedy Burke and Kelli Hayes added 11 points apiece for UCLA, which had 20 assists on its 31 made field goals and shot 54.4 percent from the floor.
Kala Green scored 12 points for North Carolina A&T (2-9), which struggled all game on offense and finished with more turnovers (23) than made field goals (13).
The Bruins used a stifling defense in the first half to take control, holding the Aggies to four total field goals on 15.2 percent shooting while building a 45-17 lead.
The Bruins scored 23 points off 16 Aggie turnovers in the first half and made 15 of 30 field goals, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
UCLA, which entered the game averaging more than six 3-pointers, made 9 of 18, with Korver going 5 for 8 behind the arc.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins got back on the winning track after their loss to the Gamecocks, dominating in all facets against a lesser opponent in its nonconference finale.
N.C. A&T: The Aggies got a taste of playing a top-10 team on their home court. Despite the lopsided loss, the level of competition they faced should be a building block for them once conference play opens up in January.
STAT SHEET
About the only advantage the Aggies had during the game was in rebounds during the first half, holding a 27-22 advantage, with 16 of those on the offensive end.
SCHEDULE QUIRK
UCLA wanted to squeeze in a second game during its brief tour of the Carolinas and found the perfect partner in N.C. A&T, which is about a 3-hour drive from Columbia, South Carolina, where the Bruins played on Sunday. The game time - noon - was also a bit unusual, but A&T had a packed gym courtesy of local middle school students that were bused in and created a lively atmosphere.
UP NEXT
UCLA: Returns home to open Pac-12 play against Utah on Dec. 30 and Colorado on Jan. 1.
N.C. A&T: Closes out 2016 with home games against Ohio on Dec. 28 and Francis Marion on Dec. 31.
