UCLA women shake off Washington to advance to Big Ten Tournament semifinal

INDIANAPOLIS — With an earlier-than-normal noon tipoff in its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game, the second-ranked UCLA women’s basketball team got a second wakeup call Friday.

The top-seeded Bruins overcame a sluggish start in their tournament opener to pull away from a pesky Washington squad for a 78-60 victory and advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

UCLA’s Cori Close, recently named the Big Ten Coach of the Year, heaped praise upon the Huskies, whom the Bruins had defeated, 82-67, on Feb. 19.

“They did such a good job in their adjustments from the time they played us a couple of weeks ago to now. Just really credit them for the way that they played and just the position they put us in,” Close said. “They were the more aggressive team. They played harder than us in the first quarter and put us on our heels. You know, just want to give them credit for the game that they played.

“You know, it wasn’t our best, so we just have to take responsibility for what led to how we came out in that game and make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s OK to make mistakes sometimes, but it’s never OK to not be the tougher, more together, more aggressive team from the jump. We’ve got to learn that lesson right away.”

UCLA (29-1 overall, 18-0 Big Ten) came into the game riding a 22-game winning streak and looking to defend its conference tournament title, won last year against crosstown rival USC.

Lauren Betts, the Bruins’ 6-foot-7 Big Ten Player of the Year, was typically dominant inside and led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds. Point guard Kiki Rice added 18 points and made UCLA’s only 3-pointer as the Bruins shot 10% (1 for 10) from behind the arc.

“Today, I think I went in with a certain confidence. I knew I wanted to win this game, and I was going to do whatever the team needed,” said Betts, who was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. “Today, they were playing me with single coverage for most of the game, so that worked in my benefit, and I just took advantage of it and was aggressive for the entire game.”

The Bruins, who shot 54% (34 for 63) from the field and held a 36-25 advantage in rebounding, will take on fifth-seeded Ohio State, which was a 60-55 quarterfinal winner over fourth-seeded Minnesota. UCLA defeated the Buckeyes, 82-75, on Dec. 28 in Columbus, Ohio. Tipoff for their rematch in the semifinal Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.

The Bruins found themselves in a 15-6 hole after one quarter, struggling against Washington’s pick-and-roll, and down by as much as 12 in the second quarter. They went on a 9-0 run to claw back within 22-21 before becoming more active on defense for a three-point halftime advantage.

Elle Ladine’s layup early in the fourth quarter cut UCLA’s lead to 58-50 before the Bruins went on an 8-0 run thanks to a Betts layup, an 18-foot jumper from Rice, a midrange shot by Betts and layup from Charlisse Leger-Walker.

The Bruins scored 36 of their 52 points in the paint in the second half, when they connected on 65% of their shots (22 of 34).

“I think they just got a little more physical and they obviously went inside and attacked us,” Washington coach Tina Langley said. “We had some foul trouble as the game went on as well, so just the physicality and the intentionality of getting the ball into the paint.”

Sophomore forward Avery Howell, who transferred from USC after last season, led the Huskies (21-10, 10-8) with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Washington advanced out of the second round with a convincing 76-64 victory over USC in which it pestered the Trojans into shooting 31% (18 for 58) from the field and 27% (8 for 30) from 3-point range.