Addy Brown is settling in fast at UCLA, and Thursday night gave the Bruins another glimpse of what that can look like when everything clicks.
The senior forward powered No. 10 UCLA to a 76-44 win over Arizona at Pauley Pavilion, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists in just 23 minutes off the bench. Brown, an Iowa State transfer, was efficient from everywhere - 6 for 13 from the field and 3 for 5 from 3-point range - while helping the Bruins move to 3-0.
She wasn’t the only one making noise. Sophomore center Sienna Betts added 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, senior Timea Gardiner scored 16 points, and Notre Dame transfer KK Bransford chipped in 13. Freshman guard Somto Okafor made her first start in place of junior transfer guard Elina Aarnisalo and finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
Brown’s impact showed up in the flow of the game, especially when UCLA needed to put Arizona away. The Bruins led by 13 at halftime, then watched the Wildcats trim the margin to 37-29 early in the third quarter after Sumaya Sugapong knocked down a 3-pointer and Gerda Raulusaityte followed with a layup. UCLA answered with a 16-2 run to close the quarter, and Brown was right in the middle of it with a three-point play and a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 62-39.
The Bruins’ defense did plenty of heavy lifting too. Arizona shot just 24.1% overall and 18.1% from 3-point range, and no Wildcat finished in double figures. UCLA also forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 26 points, while owning a 38-20 edge in the paint.
Brown said the transition to Westwood has felt smooth from the start.
“From the day I stepped on campus everyone was welcoming and ready to work right away,” Brown said. “Coach Cori (Close) brings the energy every single day which I love.
There’s no days off and I love that. The group as a whole did a really good job of making me feel welcomed and pushing me to be the best version of myself and I feel like I’m not even there yet.
We are laying the brick each game one game at a time.”
She’s already finding her place in UCLA’s evolving offense, and the Bruins are clearly experimenting with ways to maximize their size and skill. Close used a lineup featuring Betts, Gardiner and Brown together, with Betts near the post, Gardiner around the elbow and Brown spaced on the perimeter.
Brown liked what she saw from that look.
“That was one of the new lineups Coach Cori was talking about that I got to try out tonight,” Brown said. “It was a good one.
With Sienna inside the defense has to help out and pay lots of attention to her which opens up Timea from the outside. I think that triangle of the three of us worked really well and just excited to continue to have that in our next games and it was a lot of fun.
Gardiner sees the same upside.
“It’s versatility,” Gardiner said. “I believe we all play very well off of each other. We all have very high IQs and it makes it super hard to guard.”
Brown also spent time before tipoff working on her midrange and contested face-up shots with assistant coach James Clark, and she said that relationship has been important since she arrived.
“(Clark) is my guy and we connected right away,” Brown said. “Coming in that’s the coach I spend the most time with whether that’s watching film or working after practice.
One of the things I was looking forward to was player development and I feel like I really get pushed well in that area. He’s one of the best in that area.
That’s really his craft. I really love working out with him and he’s really detailed.
He gives me confidence every single day and that’s one of his superpowers is giving to us.”
UCLA’s defensive identity is taking shape early. The Bruins entered the night ranked 80th nationally in field goal percentage at 46.2%, then shot 41.6% against Arizona while committing just eight turnovers. Even with that room to grow on offense, the pieces are starting to fit.
The Bruins were also without sophomore Christina Karamouzi for the third straight game as she rehabs a hip injury, while sophomore guard Lena Bilic is out for the season with a torn ACL. Junior transfer guard Elina Aarnisalo is currently with Finland’s national team for a pair of games against Lithuania, and she will miss Sunday’s 2026 national championship banner unveiling when UCLA hosts Princeton at 3 p.m.
For now, though, the story is Brown and the way she’s already changing the look of this team.
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