Jaquez gives Bruins' title run a dominant arc

Senior leader becomes a breakout star with outside shooting touch

- By MARISA INGEMI

GABRIELA JAQUEZ, shown in a Feb. 19 game, is shooting 41.1% from three.

(GINA FERAZZI Los Angeles Times)

In late November, Gabriela Jaquez scored 29 points against Tennessee. It wasn't her career high; that came when she tallied 30 points two years prior.

But that game, when Tennessee had no answers for a player who was then the UCLA women’s basketball team’s fifth offensive option, felt like Jaquez’s coming-out party after years as a quieter cog in the Bruins’ rotation. It changed the way teams had to defend her. Previously known more for attacking the rim than for shooting from outside, Jaquez showcased a different dimension.

Against the Volunteers, Jaquez made five three-pointers, her most ever.

Suddenly, one of the best teams in the nation had one of the best breakout stars. Entering the NCAA tournament, the 31-1 Big Ten champion Bruins are relying on Jaquez as one of their super seniors to guide them back to the Final Four.

“I do think she’s always been that player,” said senior guard Kiki Rice, who has played four seasons with Jaquez. “But I do think she’s had a lot more opportunity to demonstrate that, and you saw that in the beginning of the year. She just started off such a hot shooter, and the way that she’s developed every single year, gotten better and just found a way to impact the team.”

Though she hasn’t reached that same scoring peak again, Jaquez has quietly buoyed UCLA's dominant run this season as the Bruins have emerged as one of the favorites to win a national title. She ranks second on UCLA (among players with at least 30 attempts) in field-goal percentage at 54.3%, second in three-point shooting at 41.1% and third in scoring.