INDIANAPOLIS — The UCLA women’s basketball team closed out a perfect campaign against Big Ten competition with complete dominance on both ends of the court one more time.
Gianna Kneepkens scored 19 points and Kiki Rice added 15 points and eight assists Sunday as the second-ranked Bruins rolled past No. 9 Iowa, 96-45, to win their second straight Big Ten Tournament crown.
Rice was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
It’s the first time the Bruins (31-1) have captured back-to-back postseason conference titles, and it’s also the first time they have won regular-season and league tournament titles in the same season. The top-seeded Bruins also extended their school-record win streak to 25 games and their Big Ten win streak to 24, dating to last season’s tourney run.
And they did it with most the lopsided championship-game margin in tournament history, easily surpassing Iowa’s 33-point victory over Ohio State in 2023. Six UCLA players scored in double figures, including Sienna Betts – the younger sister of star center Lauren Betts – who matched a season high with 14 points. Lauren Betts had 10 points in 24 minutes and was dancing with her teammates after the final buzzer. Gabriela Jaquez had 12 and Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 11.
“For us to come out the way we did, it means a lot because we’re doing it against really good teams,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I want to just say thank you to the incredible players who really fulfilled their mission and stayed committed to the character qualities we needed to make this run.”
Ava Heiden scored 15 points for the second-seeded Hawkeyes (26-6). Addie Deal added 11 points while all-conference forward Hannah Stuelke struggled as she played through a right elbow injury and an illness for the third straight day. Stuelke was scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting and had only three rebounds as Iowa’s eight-game winning streak was snapped.
The Hawkeyes never looked right after Taylor Stremlow opened the game with a 3-pointer to give them their only lead.
“Their staff had them prepared and locked in, ready to roll,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said. “What they’ve done this year has been really impressive, and they were great today.”
UCLA answered with 13 consecutive points, pushing the pace with takeaways and rebonds. The Bruins extended the margin to 22-5 after one quarter and kept up their frenetic pace in the second quarter, in one sequence scoring on back-to-back steals – the first from Rice and the next from Lauren Betts – that turned into immediate layups for Angela Dugalic and Rice. UCLA led by 25 before Iowa closed the first half with a 3-pointer to get within 42-20.
It only got worse for Iowa in the second half. Kneepkens scored 13 of her points after halftime as the Bruins refused to let up, winning the final 20 minutes 54-25.
UCLA finished with 34 assists on its 40 baskets. Rice’s eight set the pace, while Leger-Walker, Sienna Betts and Dugalic each distributed five, and eight of the 10 Bruins who saw the court doled out at least one assist.
Kneepkens shot 4 for 8 from 3-point range, helping UCLA to a 50% showing from deep. The Bruins shot 13 for 26 from behind the arc while limiting Iowa to just 5 for 23.
Iowa also shot just 12 for 38 from 2-point range, and UCLA’s swarming defense also forced the Hawkeyes into 19 turnovers that the Bruins converted into 26 points.
UCLA’s two-year title reign was preceded by Iowa’s three-peat and Maryland winning two straight. Last weekend, the Bruins became the first Big Ten team to complete a perfect conference season since the Terrapins in 2014-15. Maryland also won the tourney crown that season.
UP NEXT
Both teams wait a week for Selection Sunday to find out their NCAA Tournament matchups. UCLA is certain to be one of the four No. 1 seeds and will host the first two rounds at Pauley Pavilion, while Iowa could also play at home.
