Coming off Sunday’s 30-point win over then-No. 12 Maryland — UCLA’s largest margin of victory over a top-15 team since 1992 — it would have been easy for the Bruins to take unranked Purdue lightly.

Instead, the UCLA women played with the intensity and focus characteristic of an NCAA tournament game, dominating from start to finish in a 96-48 triumph Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion.

The third-ranked Bruins (18-1 overall, 8-0 in Big Ten) won for the 12th straight time and are more than halfway to tying the program record of 23 in a row set last year. The 48-point win marked the sixth straight by 18 points or more as the Bruins moved out of a tie with Iowa for sole possession of first place in the conference.

All five starters scored in double figures. Gabriela Jaquez led the way with 25 points on 10-for-11 shooting, Lauren Betts had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker each added 15 points and Gianna Kneepkens had 14.

“The scoring runs we had are a result of a season high in deflections,” said coach Cori Close, whose team made 13 three-pointers and had a 32-8 advantage in points off turnovers. “It wasn’t our best game. I’m proud of where we’re going, but we have a lot of growing to do.”

Rice had 15 points and five rebounds over the first two quarters, going eight for eight from the free-throw line, and Kneepkens had 11, making three of four three-pointers, as the Bruins held a commanding 46-20 lead at intermission, the fewest points UCLA has given up in a first half since holding Cal Poly to 16 on Dec. 16.

UCLA grew the margin to 30 by the end of the third quarter and went on a 16-0 run for almost six minutes in the fourth quarter to stay perfect on its home floor.

“I’m proud of our guards for shooting those threes and making them,” Betts said. “It’s so hard for other teams to guard us when we’re hitting from the perimeter.”

Eight Big Ten schools are in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll: No. 3 UCLA, No. 7 Michigan, No. 10 Iowa, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 15 Maryland, No. 24 Nebraska and No. 25 Washington. Only the Southeastern Conference has more with nine.

“Rankings don’t mean that much to us,” Betts said. “We have our own standard and try to compete at our highest level every time.”

Jaquez was three for three from long range and credited Betts with giving her open looks.

“Lauren is a great passer and gets me good shots,” said Jaquez, who was charged with her third personal late in the first half. “I switched my focus at halftime and decided I wasn’t going to foul. When you get in a rhythm and see the ball go in the basket a couple times, it gives you the confidence to keep shooting.”

The Bruins donned throwback jerseys, an homage to UCLA’s 1977-78 championship squad from its days in the Assn. for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, and showed why a second national title is a possibility come April if the team continues to perform at its present level.

“We want to honor the players and teams who came before us,” Close said. “More importantly, we want to play in a way that honors them.”

Nya Smith scored 14 points, Avery Gordon had 13 and Tara Daye had 10 for the Boilermakers (10-9, 2-6), who lost their third consecutive meeting with UCLA and fell to 2-4 all time against the Bruins.

“If you play defense, your offense is a whole lot easier,” Close said. “If you don’t follow the scouting report and take away what they’re good at, they’re going to do what they’re good at. We let that happen a few too many times tonight.”

Betts continues to encourage her sister Sienna to shoot. The freshman forward had six points in 17 minutes.

“She’s not going to get all the same looks that she did in high school,” Lauren said. “That’s OK. She’s good enough to be on this team and she will get more comfortable the more she plays.”

UCLA opens a two-game trip Sunday at Northwestern.