Junior Lauren Betts powered No. 1 seed UCLA past No. 5 seed Ole Miss 76-62 in the Sweet 16 on Friday night at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.
Betts led the Bruins (33-2) with 31 points and 10 rebounds, becoming just the third player in the past 25 seasons to record multiple 30-point, 10-rebound performances in NCAA tournament play. She shot 15-of-16 from the field and added three blocks in the win over the Rebels (22-11).
Junior guard Kiki Rice contributed 13 points and seven assists for UCLA, which is headed to its first Elite Eight appearance since 2018.
The Bruins built an early lead, outscoring the Rebels 19-12 in the first quarter. Betts set the tone, scoring the first field goal off a Rice assist before recording a block on the defensive end. Betts finished the frame with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Junior forward Angela Dugalić added a 3-pointer, two rebounds and a block, while Janiah Barker and Elina Aarnisalo chipped in with baskets to round out UCLA’s balanced opening effort.
Ole Miss responded in the second quarter, outscoring UCLA 17-11 to trim the deficit to one at halftime. The Bruins endured a nearly three-minute scoring drought until Betts converted a second-chance layup to stop the slide. She tallied six points in the frame and assisted on a layup by Gabriela Jaquez. Dugalić added a fast-break bucket after a turnover to help the Bruins hold a 30-29 lead at the break.
UCLA regained control with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Ole Miss 25-15. The Bruins opened with an 8-0 run, highlighted by Londynn Jones’ first 3-pointer of the game and five quick points from Rice. Jones finished the quarter with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, while Betts added eight points, three rebounds, an assist and a block. Rice contributed seven points on perfect shooting as UCLA entered the fourth quarter up 55-44.
The Bruins sealed the victory by outscoring the Rebels 21-18 in the final frame. Betts added seven points and two rebounds to record her 19th double-double of the season. Rice and Jaquez each scored four points in the quarter, with Rice dishing out three assists. Aarnisalo, Jones and Barker also contributed baskets as UCLA cruised to a 76-62 victory.
The Bruins will face their next challenge in the Elite Eight, aiming for their first Final Four appearance in program history.
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Featured Image Photographed by Aidan Sun/Daily Bruin.
