Dugalic shines as UCLA remains unstoppable in 23-point victory over Iowa

Angela Dugalic is the rarest of college basketball players: A star who’s happy to come off the bench.

When the UCLA forward realized there might not be a place for her in the starting lineup in her sixth and final season, she told her coach that she was fine with a backup role.

“She just came to me and said, ‘I don’t care,’” Bruins women’s coach Cori Close said. “ I don’t care if I never start a game, I just want to help our team win.’”

Dugalic certainly knows how to do that.

Whether she was posting up, beating her defender off the dribble or rising for three-pointers, Dugalic was an all-round force Sunday at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion during a top-10 showdown.

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Powering the No. 2 Bruins to an 88–65 victory over No. 8 Iowa, Dugalic tied a career high with 22 points on nine-for-13 shooting to go with a career-high five steals. Never seriously threatened by one of the nation’s top teams, UCLA (21–1 overall, 11–0 Big Ten) made an emphatic statement in its bid to finish conference play with a perfect record.

Dugalic said a recent conversation about “being the lion” set the stage for such a strong showing.

“The target is not on our backs,” Dugalic said, “we have a target on other people and kind of have the mentality that we’re going into these gyms, these arenas, and people are coming to see us, they want to see a show, so we’re going to give them a show.”

It just so happened that the showstopper was a possible first-round WNBA draft pick who comes off the bench. When Dugalic reached 19 points Sunday, Close told her players that she was only three short of tying her career high. Dugalic said she didn’t care about that either.

“You’ve got your first-round draft pick coming in and saying, ‘I don’t care, I just want to help our team win,’” Close said. “That should speak volumes to any WNBA team that’s watching.”

What does it mean?

This was another huge victory for a team trying to gain the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

It also provided more fodder for the debate over whether top-ranked UConn or UCLA should be considered the nation’s best team.

Iowa’s Coach Jan Jensen might be uniquely qualified to provide an answer, given that her Hawkeyes have played both the Huskies (losing by 26 points) and Bruins this season.

“Maybe the edge to UConn, only because they press,” Jensen said, “but boy, both of them, I don’t know who you focus on to try to stop. But then the edge to UCLA because 6–7 is pretty impressive, and she’s good, Lauren [Betts] is a good 6–7.”

Turning point

With Iowa clinging to faint comeback hopes early in the fourth quarter, the Bruins rolled off eight consecutive points.

The run started with a Kiki Rice three-pointer and picked up momentum when Gabriela Jaquez came up with a steal, triggering a fast break in which Rice found Gianna Kneepkens for a layup. When Kneepkens followed with a three-pointer, UCLA was up 74–53 and those Hawkeyes comeback hopes were extinguished.

MVP: Angela Dugalic

With Betts limited to 21 minutes by foul trouble, the Bruins needed a boost.

They found it off the bench in Dugalic, who earned a loud ovation when she came out for the last time with a little less than three minutes left in the game.

“Show me a more versatile four in the country,” Close said. “I mean, she’s just spectacular.” 

Up next

After what should be something of a breather against Rutgers at home on Wednesday, the Bruins go back on the road to face No. 9 Michigan on Feb. 8, and No. 13 Michigan State on Feb. 11. Those games could represent the last two major hurdles to logging an unbeaten record in Big Ten play.