UCLA Women's Basketball Sharpens Defense After Loss

Head coach Cori Close pushes for better communication as the Bruins prepare for their upcoming season opener.

Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Basketball

UCLA Women's Basketball Sharpens Defense After Loss

Live Poll

Does a championship legacy make it harder for a new team to perform well?

UCLA head coach Cori Close emphasized the need for improved defensive communication during Tuesday morning's practice session. The 11th-ranked team is working to realign after an 81-64 exhibition loss to Texas last Sunday.

Why it matters

The team must quickly integrate seven newcomers and establish a new identity after losing their top six players from the previous season. Coach Close stated the current squad is not yet playing to the program's championship standards.

The Bruins are currently ranked 11th in the preseason poll following a season where they finished with a 37-1 record. The team now features seven newcomers after graduating or losing their top six players from the previous roster.

The players

Cori Close

She serves as the head coach for the UCLA women's basketball program.

UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university that competes in collegiate basketball.

Lehigh

Lehigh University is the upcoming opponent for the UCLA Bruins' season-opening game.

The details

Following a challenging 81-64 exhibition defeat, the coaching staff focused on foundational defensive drills to address performance gaps. The team completed a rigorous preparation schedule throughout October, including two exhibition games and a closed scrimmage to test new lineups.

The team played two exhibition games throughout October 2026.
The Bruins lost to Texas 81-64 on October 25, 2026.
Coach Cori Close held a practice session on October 27, 2026.
The season opener against Lehigh is scheduled for November 2, 2026.

Season Trajectory

The current squad faces the difficult challenge of maintaining a championship-caliber profile after losing the top six contributors from the record-breaking 37-1 run in 2025-26. These early defensive lapses suggest that the team's ability to remain in the top tier of rankings will depend entirely on how quickly the seven newcomers integrate into the system.

With the team forced to replace its top six players, the rotation remains highly fluid heading into the November 2 opener. The performance against Lehigh will be a critical indicator for fantasy prognosticators looking to see which newcomers claim the starting minutes vacated by the previous core.

The takeaway

Maintaining championship standards requires immediate buy-in from new players during the early non-conference schedule. Consistency in defensive communication is the primary indicator of a successful transition for teams undergoing significant roster turnover.