| Mode: | Women's basketball |
| Year: | 2018–19 |
| Team: | UCLA Bruins |
| Conference: | Pac-12 Conference |
| Short Conf: | Pac-12 |
| Coachrank: | 14 |
| Aprank: | 20 |
| Record: | 22–13 |
| Conf Record: | 12–6 |
| Hc Year: | 8th |
| Asst Coach1: | Shannon Perry |
| Asst Coach2: | Tasha Brown |
| Asst Coach3: | Tony Newnan |
| Bowl Result: | Sweet Sixeen |
The 2018–19 UCLA Bruins women's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bruins, led by eighth year head coach Cori Close, played their home games at the Pauley Pavilion. They were members of the Pac-12 Conference.
The Bruins started the season 3–5, their worst start since the 2014–15 season, before going on a 6-game winning streak. The Bruins then lost their next four, including a 72–67 home loss on January 20 to a USC team that had failed to win any of its first five conference games. The loss dropped the Bruins to 0–3 in Pac-12 home games on the season; in the previous three seasons, they had only lost one Pac-12 home game.
The Bruins' next game following the USC loss was an upset road win over No. 16 Arizona State. The Bruins then traveled to Arizona and defeated the Wildcats 98–93 in three overtimes; the game was the first three-overtime game in UCLA women's basketball history, as well as the longest Pac-12 women's basketball game in over a decade.
On February 10, 2019, the Bruins upset No. 17 Utah, 100–90, in Salt Lake City. The Bruins' 40 points in the fourth quarter was the highest single-quarter point tally in UCLA women's basketball history.
On February 22, 2019, the Bruins upset No. 2 Oregon, 74–69, in Eugene. This was the Bruins' first win over a top five opponent since 2013. The Bruins erased a 22-point deficit in the comeback victory.
The Bruins finished the regular season with a 19–11 overall record and a 12–6 record in Pac-12 play (5–4 at home and 7–2 on the road), having won 10 of their last 12 regular season games. UCLA's only two losses during that 12-game span were against No. 10 Stanford at home and No. 12 Oregon State on the road.
On March 6, 2019, Pac-12 media members voted head coach Cori Close Pac-12 Coach of the Year.[1]
The Bruins secured a (4) seed and a first-round bye to the Pac-12 Tournament. They defeated (5) Arizona State in the quarterfinals before losing to (1) Oregon in overtime in the semifinals.
The Bruins secured a (6) seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. They defeated (11) Tennessee 89–77 in the first round and defeated (3) Maryland 85–80 in the second round before losing to (2) Connecticut 69–61 in the Sweet Sixteen. The Bruins concluded the season with a 22–13 overall record. They won 13 of their last 17 games after starting the season 9–9.
| Name | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Rowlett, Texas | Graduated in December 2018; transferred mid-season to Texas A&M | ||||
| G | Los Angeles, California | Graduated; selected 5th overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2018 WNBA draft | ||||
| F | Corona, California | Graduated; selected 15th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2018 WNBA draft | ||||
| G | San Jose, California | Graduated |
Source:[2]
[3] |-!colspan=9 style=| Exhibition|-!colspan=9 style=| Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| Pac-12 regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| Pac-12 Women's tournament|-!colspan=9 style=| NCAA Women's tournament
2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
| + Regular Season Polls | Poll | Pre- Season | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 25 | 20 | N/A | |||||||||||||
| Coaches | 23 | 23^ | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 14 |
| Increase in ranking | |||
| Decrease in ranking | |||
| Not ranked previous week | |||
| (RV) | Received Votes | ||
| (NR) | Not Ranked |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.
2018–19 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team