Junior Lauren Betts has led UCLA to an unbeaten 6-0 season start following their 97-37 win over UT Martin on Friday. The 60-point blowout was spearheaded by her fifth double-double of the season, going for 18 points (on 7-for-15 shooting), 12 rebounds and two assists along with a steal and a block in 24 minutes.
Looking to solidify their first-ever No. 1 AP poll ranking, the Bruins opened the game playing through their star as Betts would have back-to-back misses but eventually find the bottom of the net with a successful and-one make, 9-3. She didn't score for the rest of the first but did provide much-needed rebounding and defense.
Opening the second quarter, Betts connected on three straight layups to give UCLA a 14-point advantage, 26-12. Her inside presence proved to be too much to handle for the Skyhawks as Betts would grab rebound after rebound and alter UT Martin's shot attempts to close the first half with UCLA in the lead, 44-20.
In the third quarter, the 6-foot-5 center captured the Skyhawks' defensive attention again as she was fouled right away. After connecting on a couple of freebies, Betts would dominate the glass and defend at the rim all through the period to give UCLA a 72-30 margin heading into the layover frame.
The fourth quarter would be much of the same, as UCLA's run-and-gun offense, along with Betts' dominance, helped them pull away from UT Martin. Betts eventually made a layup and went one-for-two from the free throw line, contributing to the Bruins' astonishing 97-37 victory.
Lauren Betts continues dominant third-year campaign
With all of the success and milestones that UCLA has been hitting this season, a lot of it has to do with the remarkable play of Lauren Betts thus far.
She's had a double-double in almost every game of the 2024-2025 season. The only game where she didn't have one was when she scored a season-high 31 points and was one rebound shy of the nod against the Colgate Raiders.
Not a lot of squads have had answers for her as she is averaging 19.2 points, 12 boards and 2.3 blocks per game.
It's looking like wherever Lauren Betts goes, the Bruins follow as her production and team chemistry can take UCLA far in the NCAA Tournament.
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