UCLA women’s basketball is getting a boost from Charles Leger-Walker

As usual, UCLA assistant coach Tasha Brown flagged down each player’s nickname as they got off the team bus Sunday.

Only she introduced a ranger accessory known as the Charlisse X-Ray Vision Leger-Walker.

“We want you to score goals, too,” Brown said to the player known worldwide for his unselfishness.

Sure thing.

With an array of cunning moves, Leger-Walker was happy to comply while The Bruins are ranked second’73-50 fun At the University of Southern California At the Galen Center.

Leger-Walker’s 20 points led both teams and showed how her relatively quiet addition as a second-place facilitator alongside Kiki Rice could lift the Bruins as they push for their first NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve been really trying to get Charlize thinking about not only her ability to get everyone involved and get our teamwork in sync, but to play the basketball the right way and be aggressive with her shot as well…I think she’s getting into a good rhythm for that,” UCLA coach Corey Close said.

Leger-Walker’s scoring output tied her season high and also revealed the depth of a team that had four players score in double figures against the Trojans.

“Because we have so many talented pieces, it can be a night for anyone in any game, and it just so happened that, you know, I scored a lot tonight,” Leger-Walker said.

Her scoring was especially crucial late in the third quarter. With USC clinging to hopes of a comeback, Leger-Walker put in a jumper. Then she followed up the steal with a 3-pointer.

The Bruins trailed by 21 points. Ball game.

Leger-Walker said she was balancing the need to facilitate while also doing the correct readings.

“They like to be really aggressive defensively and were taking away some different options,” said Leger-Walker, who made 8 of 13 shots and 4 of 7 3-pointers. “So, I think it’s just stepping into that role and taking the shots that were there for me and being more aggressive in just understanding how they were playing with me and our team.”

A graduate transfer from Washington State, Leisure-Walker missed all of last season after suffering a devastating knee injury at Pauley Pavilion near the end of her final season as a Cougar. She spent much of her time during her rehabilitation learning her teammates and their tendencies.

“It really allowed me to understand not only the dynamics of our team and just watching the players that are out there, but also understanding from a coaching perspective, what different reads are we trying to look for, how are we trying to attack different things?” Leisure Walker said. “And being on the sidelines and being in people’s ears all the time, almost landed me a coaching position.”

As part of her all-around game, Leger-Walker led the team with 5.6 assists per game to go along with nine points and 4.2 rebounds. Her addition alongside sharpshooter Gianna Knipkens gives the Bruins one of the most comprehensive lineups in college basketball.

Close has another nickname for the New Zealand native: The Conductor.

“What she does is to make everyone around her better, to be the liaison not only on the field to know who needs touches, who needs a different rotation or assist aspect, she’s constantly talking, but also off the field, she really keeps our team together,” Close said.

Close said Leger-Walker has become so beloved among her teammates that she is the player they go to when they are having a bad day. Naturally, with the help of Leger-Walker, there have been a few of those things for a team that has now won 22 games in a row and Undefeated in Big Ten play During the regular season.

With Leger-Walker leading the way, the Bruins beat their opponent for the third straight time on a day in which star Central Lauren Betts was held to five points while making just 2 of 10 shots.

“Offensively, guys scouting us know we have all five guys on the field at any given time that can score the ball, and I really think it’s just about making the best decisions out there, how we play that, and a lot of that comes down to just the IQ of this team,” Leger-Walker said. “You know, who has a hot hand, how do they play Lauren in that position? A lot of that is planned around that. So I think moving forward into March, it’s just honing that in and understanding the decisions we need to make there.”

Whether she scores the goal or passes the ball, Leger-Walker has full confidence from her team to make the right read.