Experience grows in women’s game, a test for young teams

By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer

Women’s college basketball has long had players stick around compared to men’s players making frequent early exits to the pros. Now there are more fifth- and sixth-year players thanks to extra eligibility granted because of the pandemic. No. 11 UCLA had the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class headlined by point guard Kiki Rice. They’ve made quick gains even though coach Cori Close says there’s a wider gap “between the newbies and the vets” in the game. She is trying to play her freshman as much as she can to get them the experience they need.