UCLA women’s basketball team takes a grueling 67-65 win against the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes during their matchup Sunday afternoon. Players, coaching staff and fans of both teams donned pink for the cancer awareness game, with the Hawkeyes wearing jerseys honoring family and friends on their backs.
Despite the difference in rank and conference record, the game was intense from start to finish, with ten ties and five lead changes. As two top teams in the Big Ten when it comes to rebounds, rebounds played a big role in the game, with UCLA topping Iowa in both offensive rebounds, putting up 13 to Iowa’s nine, and defensive rebounds, the Bruins with 30 to the Hawks 25.
UCLA’s star junior center Lauren Betts continued her dominant performance, dropping 22 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Betts got UCLA on the board first with a layup assisted by senior forward Angela Dugalić, following up with another four points in the first half of the first quarter. Following a combined nine failed three point attempts, the Hawks’ senior guard Lucy Olsen put up a buzzer beater three to cut the Bruins lead to two going into the second quarter. Olsen, who had her mom on the back of her jersey this Sunday, was one of the stars for Iowa this game, putting up 17 points with five rebounds and one assist.
Betts, who picked up two personal fouls in the first quarter, was largely on the bench towards the end of the second quarter. Iowa took advantage of Betts’s absence, going on a 11-0 scoring run within two and a half minutes to take a 25-31 lead over the Bruins. Iowa’s senior forward Addison O’Grady had her first missed field goal attempt of the afternoon with less than a minute left in the 2nd. O’Grady put up a total of 10 points as one of four Hawkeyes to put up double digits in this game. The Bruins ended the half with a seven point deficit to the Hawks, who led UCLA on successful three point attempts, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds.
The Bruins put themselves back in the game with a 12-2 run in the 3rd to cut the deficit before two free throws by junior guard Kiki Rice tied the game 50-50 with 27.9 seconds left in the quarter. The final quarter was defined by fouls and free throws on both sides, with five fouls called on UCLA within the first three minutes of the quarter. Prior to the fourth, three Bruins were already in foul trouble, with three personals a piece between Janiah Barker, Dugalić, and Rice. Rice was eventually fouled out with her fifth personal foul with under a minute to go in the game. Junior guard Londynn Jones quickly joined the foul struggles with two back to back fouls called on her in just 20 seconds. Olsen’s two free throw points from the fouls called on Jones broke the tie to put the Hawkeyes back ahead.
The Bruins and Hawkeyes stayed within four points of each other the rest of the quarter until a failed three point attempt by Olsen rebounded by teammate Hannah Stuelke led to a foul on UCLA freshman forward Kendall Dudley. Olsen was successful in all three free throw attempts, tying the game 65-65 with just six seconds left on the clock. The Bruins ultimately pulled ahead with two free throws from freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo to win the game. With the win today, UCLA stays just 0.5 games behind USC in the conference and continues to have one of the most dominant records in all of women’s college basketball. The Bruins look to face Wisconsin on Wednesday before they face USC at home for a rematch in their final game of the season.
—
Featured Image Photographed by Michael Gallagher/Daily Bruin
