UCLA guard Kiki Rice drives the ball against Southern during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

LOS ANGELES — Cori Close emphasized the importance of avoiding complacency during midweek practices.

Southern, in many ways, is the appetizer before the two-course entrée of ranked matchups against No. 4 Texas and No. 15 Tennessee in the next seven days. The Bruins could have turned in a haphazard performance with looming giants ahead on the non-conference schedule.

Third-ranked UCLA (6-0) instead threw complacency by the wayside on Sunday afternoon. Describing the Bruins’ effort as dominant would be disrespectful to the definition of the word. Whereas UCLA defeated Southern by 38 points in the NCAA tournament first

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