No. 2 UCLA women rout Rutgers 86-46 for 16th straight win
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kiki Rice had 17 points and seven rebounds, and No. 2 UCLA routed Rutgers 86-46 on Wednesday night for its 16th consecutive victory.
The Bruins (22-1, 12-0 Big Ten) have been blowing out opponents by about an average of 25-30 points. Their last loss came on Nov. 26 against then-No. 4 Texas.
Gabriela Jaquez added 14 points. Lauren Betts had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting in 14 minutes, her fewest of the season, for the Bruins.
The blowout was on from the opening tip. The Bruins’ defense limited the Scarlet Knights (9-14, 1-11) to two 3-pointers in the first quarter, when UCLA led 26-6 after running off 16 straight points.
Rutgers managed to outscore the Bruins 14-13 in the second, but still trailed 40-19 at halftime.
UCLA dominated the third, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 28-8 for a 68-27 lead while holding them to just three baskets, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Lauryn Swann. Betts scored seven of their first 12 points in the quarter before sitting down for good.
There was a Betts on the floor in the fourth: Lauren’s younger sister, Sienna. She scored nine of her 11 points in the period.
Lena Bilic’s 3-pointer gave UCLA its largest lead of 43 points in the fourth.
Swann led Rutgers with 14 points. The Scarlet Knights committed 18 turnovers that led to 25 points for the Bruins. UCLA controlled the boards, 41-18, and owned a 44-14 edge in the paint.
Up next
Rutgers: Hosts Minnesota on Sunday.
UCLA: Visits No. 8 Michigan on Sunday in a showdown between the Big Ten’s top two teams.
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