The highly anticipated matchup between UCLA and Ohio State — two of the nation’s top-10 women’s basketball teams — turned into a battle of who could generate offensive rhythm.
Ultimately, No. 1 UCLA came out on top as the Bruins turned a three-point lead into a 13-point rout, fending off a stingy No. 8 Ohio State to secure a 65-52 Big Ten victory at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA, which led at one point by 11, went into the fourth quarter clinging to a two-point lead. That was quickly erased by a three-pointer by the Buckeyes.
But a scoring onslaught carried the Bruins, led by Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez, who had eight and nine points in the quarter, respectively.
Up 48-45, UCLA would go on a 15-0 run, extending the lead to 63-45.
From the start, the Bruins struggled against Ohio State’s full-court press, which disrupted their offense often and made it difficult to advance up the court. The pressure forced UCLA into 14 first-half turnovers, including six steals for the Buckeyes.
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The Bruins finished with 23 turnovers and only 19 assists.
Fortunately for UCLA, Lauren Betts carried the offense early. Betts ended the game with 19 points on eight-of-13 shooting and 14 rebounds, her 12th double-double of the season.
After a tight 18-16 first quarter, Betts found her rhythm in the second, scoring 10 points. She finished the half with 13 points and 10 rebounds despite Ohio State’s persistent double-teams and pressure in the paint.
A mix of Betts, Rice and Jaquez would lead UCLA in the fourth, as it remained a back-and-forth matchup, with the Bruins allowing Ohio State in the game despite the Buckeyes only shooting 29.4% from the field.
Betts had a team-high 18 points. Jaquez and Rice had 17 and 12 points, respectively.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
