California Baptist University
UCLA
WBB Preview: CBU Set for Saturday Night Showdown with #1 UCLA in Round of 64
3/18/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- Selection Sunday brought history with it, as the California Baptist University women's basketball team heard its name called for just the second time, setting up a Saturday night clash in Westwood against No. 1 UCLA in the Round of 64.
The Lancers earned the auto bid from the Western Athletic Conference after defeating Tarleton State in the semis before dominating Abilene Christian in the Finals to reach the Dance for the second time in three seasons. The Lancers are currently 23-10, which is tied for their third-best win total in the DI era under Jarrod Olson, and will look to win their first-ever game in March Madness.
The opposition for the Lancers will be a familiar one as they face the UCLA Bruins for the second time in the Big Dance after squaring off with them in 2024 in the Lancers' first March Madness appearance. In that matchup, the Lancers were a #15 seed and faced the #2 Bruins at Pauley Pavilion, where they ultimately came up short, 84-55. This time around, the Lancers will be a #16 seed and will face a #1-seeded UCLA squad that is 31-1 and is on a 25-game winning streak. The Bruins earned their way into the tournament by virtue of the automatic bid from the BIG 10 after defeating Iowa 96-45 in the Championship Game. The Bruins will be led by a pair of AP All-Americans in Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice, who have been one of the best duos in college basketball this season. The two have averaged over 31 points per game this season and shoot over 50% from the floor.
For the Lancers, they will have a complete arsenal at their disposal, led by point guard Filipa Barros, who was the Most Outstanding Player at the WAC Tournament. Barros has been a stat stuffer for CBU all season, averaging 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Barros was a First-Team All-WAC selection during the regular season and was thrice named WAC Player of the Week. Barros is second in the NCAA among guards in rebounding and was in the top 50 in steals, assists, and double-doubles. The Lancers will also have the services of WAC Freshman of the Year Lauren Olsen, who led the team in scoring at over 15 per game, and Emma Johansson, who was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year after being #1 in the NCAA in blocks and #2 in blocks per game.
There will be some familiarity in this matchup from the previous meeting, as seven players were on those teams in 2024. For CBU, Khloe Lemon was the only Lancer to play in that previous game, while Filipa Barros and Grace Schmidt were on the team but sidelined due to injuries. Lemon, a true freshman at the time, scored five points and collected four rebounds in 21 minutes of action. For the Bruins, Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Angela Dugalić, and Amanda Muse all played, with Rice leading with 20 points and Jaquez next with 19. This will also be the first time in CBU's program history that they will face a team ranked in the top 2 nationally, with the Bruins checking in at #2 across the board. A win for the Lancers would be the first-ranked win of the DI era for the Lancers and would be just the second time in history that a #16 seed defeated a #1 seed in the tournament. The last time it happened was 1998, when #16 Harvard bested #1 Stanford.
A key battle to watch will be on the boards, as both UCLA and CBU have been strong rebounding teams all season. The Lancers are 9th in defensive rebounding at 30 per game and are 20th in total rebounding at nearly 42 per contest. For the Bruins, they are 11th in total rebounding and 2nd in rebounding margin, collecting almost 15 more rebounds per game than their opponents. Another key battle will be on the perimeter as both teams are formidable threats from distance. The Bruins are 6th in the country in three-point percentage at 37.5% and are also in the top 60 in makes. The Lancers hang their hat on their distance shooting, as they rank in the top 20 in both attempts and makes per game in the NCAA.
MATCHUP INFO:
CBU @ UCLA- NCAA Round of 64
WHEN: Saturday, March 21 @7PM PT
WHERE: Westwood, California- Pauley Pavilion
WATCH: ESPN
