{"id":673178,"date":"2026-03-22T06:21:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T06:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/673178\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T06:21:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T06:21:23","slug":"ucla-opens-its-ncaa-title-bid-by-dominating-california-baptist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/673178\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA opens its NCAA title bid by dominating California Baptist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The adage goes, it doesn\u2019t have to be pretty. But for the UCLA<\/a> women\u2019s basketball team, that\u2019s not the philosophy. Coach Cori Close<\/a> preaches thriving, not surviving, and that\u2019s been evident in the Bruins\u2019 lopsided victory margin all season.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why leading by 10 points at halftime against a No. 16 seed was likely alarming. So much so that UCLA locked in for a 31-4 third quarter in one of its most dominant periods all season en route to a first-round NCAA tournament win.<\/p>\n

UCLA (32-1) took down California Baptist 96-43<\/a> at Pauley Pavilion, advancing to Monday\u2019s second-round contest against No. 8 seed Oklahoma State (24-9) for a spot in the Sweet 16. <\/p>\n

Senior Lauren Betts<\/a> earned a double-double with 22 points with 10 rebounds, while her sister, freshman Sienna Betts<\/a>, had her first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. <\/p>\n

\"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA center Lauren Betts drives against California Baptist forward Grace Schmidt in the first half Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Jessie Alcheh \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in the locker room, it was made very clear to us that we needed to do a better job, and that was before the coaches came in,\u201d said Angela Dugalic<\/a> (10 points, 11 rebounds). \u201cWe took accountability of what we needed to fix, which was a lot of things, honestly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll my teammates, from seniors to [sophomore] Amanda [Muse] even said something. And Sienna.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the Bruins\u2019 26th consecutive win, with the team\u2019s most recent loss in November against fellow No. 1 seed Texas.<\/p>\n

California Baptist (23-11) had the eighth-worst NET ranking<\/a> of any NCAA tournament team, but the Lancers have a couple of areas where they excel. It was not enough to beat a No. 1 seed that just needed some time to shake off the rust, but it was enough to fend off a more lopsided score other No. 16 seeds endured across the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, that\u2019s the best team in the country,\u201d Lancers coach Jarrod Olson said. \u201c… For 20 minutes, we gave them all they could handle.\u201d<\/p>\n

A No. 16 seed has not upset a No. 1 seed in the women\u2019s NCAA tournament since 1998. <\/p>\n

The Bruins took the lead with 3:51 left in the first quarter as a part of a 10-0 run after starting the game one for five. While the Lancers clawed back to within five points, the gap only widened from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did need to come out more aggressive,\u201d said Charlisse Leger-Walker (eight points, five rebounds, five assists). \u201cI think we were having too many mental lapses in the scout and how we wanted to game plan. We kind of felt that momentum from the first half, and they were true to how the scout was for them, and hitting a lot of three-pointers, we were on the back foot a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, as California Baptist\u2019s Chance Bucher (team-high 11 points) said after the game, the Bruins are a No. 1 seed for a reason.<\/p>\n

UCLA\u2019s size overwhelmed California Baptist, whose tallest player is 6-foot-3 Emma Johansson. Johansson, who entered Saturday second in the country with 2.86 blocks per game, picked up just one block and one rebound with four fouls. The Bruins\u2019 62-21 rebounding advantage came from the significant height gap across all positions. UCLA also nabbed a season-high 21 offensive boards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really proud of that,\u201d Sienna Betts said. \u201cOffense is not always going to fall and not always going to be perfect, and it\u2019s important to be able to rely on the little things and crash like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA guard Kiki Rice consults with coach Cori Close on a play against California Baptist at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Gina Ferazzi\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Bruins finished with 54 points in the paint to the Lancers\u2019 14, along with 30 second-chance points compared to California Baptist\u2019s eight.<\/p>\n

The Lancers rely heavily on their three-point shot, with the eighth-most in the NCAA at 28.3 attempts per game. They went six for 30 (20%) from deep, which kept the deficit from getting out of hand early, but the Lancers couldn\u2019t maintain their early strong shooting pace.<\/p>\n

UCLA started the third quarter on a 15-0 run. The Lancers didn\u2019t score until the 7:20 mark. The Bruins shot 10 for 16 from the field and their 31 points were tied for their second most in a quarter this season. They finished the game on a 21-2 run.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately,\u201d Olson said, \u201cWhatever Cori said to them at halftime, it kind of got them going in the second half, we had a hard time scoring.\u201d<\/p>\n

The million dollar question: what did Close say to get the Bruins back on track?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was spirited,\u201d Close said. \u201cIt was spirited. It was unacceptable. It\u2019s not the fact that we missed shots. Those are not the things that get me really fired up. It\u2019s when we don\u2019t execute the scouting report; when we are lackadaisical; when we don\u2019t communicate; when we are not connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

California Baptist\u2019s 25% shooting from the floor was the lowest field-goal percentage UCLA has allowed all season, but they shot 38% in the first half, including 37.5% from three-point range, which negated having fewer possessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to respect everyone, no matter what number is in front of their names,\u201d Gianna Kneepkens said. \u201cIt really doesn\u2019t matter, because like if you lose, you\u2019re done, the stakes are automatically higher no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

On Monday, the Bruins will face a Power Four conference foe coming off an impressive first-round performance. The Bruins are 1-1 all-time against Oklahoma State, having last met in a 71-59 win in 2018.<\/p>\n

The Cowgirls, who have the 29th-best NET ranking, are led by forward Achol Akot, who paced Oklahoma State with 28 points in its first-round win over Princeton. They have the 14th-best offense in the nation, averaging 81.5 points per game.<\/p>\n

That will be a much more engaging matchup for the Bruins\u2019 interior players, who won\u2019t get a half to get back into the game.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, even as one of the most experienced teams in the nation, UCLA got an important reminder.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s March Madness,\u201d Kneepkens said. \u201cThat means anything can happen.\u201d <\/p>\n

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