No. 2 UCLA blasts No. 8 Iowa for 15th straight win, remains unbeaten in Big Ten

LOS ANGELES — UCLA maintained its undefeated Big Ten record with another convincing win, 88-65 over No. 8 Iowa on Sunday. The No. 2 Bruins (21-1, 11-0 in the Big Ten) have won 10 of their 11 conference games by double digits and hold a one-game lead in the regular-season standings over No. 9 Michigan. UCLA faces the Wolverines on the road next Sunday.

The Hawkeyes (18-4, 9-2) were also undefeated in Big Ten play coming into Los Angeles, but suffered consecutive one-sided losses to USC and the Bruins. UCLA is on an absolute roll with 15 straight wins; the Bruins never trailed after taking a 6-5 lead with 6:39 remaining in the first quarter. After squandering a chance to win the Big Ten title in the final regular-season game last season, UCLA is in position to avenge that defeat in 2026.

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Here are three takeaways from UCLA’s big win:

UCLA’s veteran depth shines

Four Bruins average double-digit scoring this season, and even with Gabriela Jaquez falling short of that mark Sunday, five UCLA players were in double figures. The Bruins’ offense was too balanced for Iowa to key on any one player, and as a result, UCLA found options throughout its lineup. Graduate student Angela Dugalić led the way with seven points in the first quarter, coming in early after Jaquez picked up her first foul. Kiki Rice picked up the baton with six points in the second quarter, and Lauren Betts had eight in the third period to push the lead to 17 and render much of the final frame garbage time.

The poise of the veteran group came through in the fourth when Iowa cut the lead to 13. Immediately after the timeout, Rice hit a 3-pointer. Jaquez forced a turnover on the ensuing possession and got the ball to Rice, who hit Gianna Kneepkens for a transition layup. After one more Hawkeyes turnover, UCLA found Kneepkens in the corner on a simple baseline out-of-bounds play to extend the advantage to 21. Three seniors recognized the moment and were able to execute in a critical juncture for the Bruins. — Sabreena Merchant

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Bruins set the terms inside

The Bruins dictated the geometry of the floor Sunday afternoon, carving space in the paint and converting it at a rate Iowa never matched. UCLA finished with 56 points in the paint, more than doubling Iowa’s 26 — a margin that reflected both physical control of the ball and superior decision-making.

Betts was central to that imbalance. Four days after being relegated to the sideline for most of UCLA’s first half against Illinois — a result of three personal fouls, including a technical — the senior center didn’t wait for clean angles of favorable whistles, two gifts she’s yet to be awarded this season. When the space was there, Betts lowered her shoulder and claimed it; when it wasn’t, she manufactured separation to find her shots at the rim. After a stretch in which officiating inconsistencies disrupted her rhythm, Betts played through contact and trusted her footwork to the tune of 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

Complementing Betts down low was Dugalić, the graduate student forward delivering one of her most efficient performances of the year with a career-high-tying 22 points — shooting 69% from the field — partly spurred on by a career-high five steals, the first two of which she converted into buckets in the key. While 12 of Dugalic’s 22 points came in the paint, she pitched in nine more from beyond the arc, finishing with a 75% clip from 3. — Ira Gorawara