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12/31 15:23 CST Lauren Betts surpasses 1,500 career points and No. 4 UCLA beats
Penn State 97-61
Lauren Betts surpasses 1,500 career points and No. 4 UCLA beats Penn State 97-61
By TRAVIS JOHNSON
Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) --- Lauren Betts scored 25 and surpassed 1,500 career
points in leading No. 4 UCLA to a 97-61 rout of Penn State on Wednesday.
Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice scored 16 and Sienna Betts 10 for
the Bruins (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who won their seventh in a row after leading
for all but 31 seconds.
The Bruins, who entered averaging just over 95 points per game since their lone
loss to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Nov. 27, found their offense immediately
inside a quiet Rec Hall.
Lauren Betts finished 11 for 19 from the floor. She sunk a layup in the opening
seconds to spark the first of a handful of lopsided runs for the Bruins.
Kneepkens and Rice added back-to-back 3-pointers moments later before Kneepkens
hit another long ball to put UCLA up 13-2 less than three minutes in.
Penn State (7-7, 0-3) responded with a pair of buckets, but Kneepkens drained
her third 3-pointer of the quarter and UCLA closed out the first on a 14-5 run
shooting 58% from the floor.
The rout was on from there for the Bruins, who led by as many as 37 with 6:41
in the fourth quarter. They led 46-23 at halftime.
Gracie Merkle had 15 points and Kiyomi McMiller scored 13 for Penn State, which
fell to 1-15 against AP Top 10 teams since coach Carolyn Kieger's first season
in 2019.
Up next UCLA: Hosts No. 17 Southern California on Saturday night. Penn State: Visits Wisconsin on Sunday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball. |
