UCLA star Lauren Betts registered a career-high 33 points in an 82-67 road win against Maryland on Sunday. In the process, she also reached 1,000 career points.
“Growth, that’s it,” UCLA coach Cori Close said of Betts’ performance. “Growth and being willing to put in the work. There are no shortcuts. We say the standard is the standard. She’s willing to put in the work and she is reaping the fruit of her labor.”
Betts was unstoppable from the beginning as she registered 24 points in the first half, then tied her previous career high of 31 points early in the third quarter. She finished the day going an impressive 14 of 15 from the field. Betts also contributed seven rebounds, four assists, four blocks and a steal.
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Isabel Gonzalez
Betts is leading the Bruins in scoring, rebounding and blocks this season, and her impact has made her one of the strongest Player of the Year candidates — along with Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and USC’s JuJu Watkins.
Behind Betts, UCLA is off to its best start in program history, and it’s the only team in the country still undefeated. The Bruins have been ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for nine consecutive weeks, the longest streak for any team in Big Ten history.
Kiki Rice was another strong contributor for the Bruins on Sunday with 19 points. Meanwhile, Saylor Poffenbarger was Maryland’s leading scorer with 18 points.
Despite the final score, Maryland put on a good fight early in the game despite missing two of its top three scorers. The Terrapins lost Bri McDaniel for the rest of the season after she tore her ACL Jan. 14 against Minnesota. They faced another blow less than a week later as Shyanne Sellers suffered a knee injury against Texas. This was the second consecutive game Sellers missed, but she is expected to return soon as she is listed day-to-day.
UCLA returns to the court next Sunday vs. No. 23 Minnesota. Maryland, meanwhile, will face Penn State on the road Wednesday.