SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gianna Kneepkens scored 20 points and No. 3 UCLA used a big third quarter to pull away from sixth-ranked Oklahoma for a 73-59 victory Monday night.
Bruins star Lauren Betts had nine points on 4-for-11 shooting, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots while committing seven of her team’s 16 turnovers. The Bruins (3-0) dominated on the boards, 59-43 in a game played at Golden1 Center, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
Oklahoma got a scare with 9:16 remaining when senior center and leading scorer Raegan Beers went down awkwardly fighting for a rebound with Betts and grabbed at her right knee. She returned shortly thereafter and wound up with seven points and 14 rebounds.
Zya Vann had 13 points and six rebounds for Oklahoma (1-1) while Payton Verhulst finished with 16. She knocked down a lone 3-pointer to end the third quarter and pull her team within 59-48 going into the fourth.
Angela Dugalic came off the bench to contribute 16 points and 15 rebounds for UCLA, which shot just 8 for 22 from deep but created opportunities with hustle and effort plays such as crashing the offensive glass.
NO. 4 TEXAS 100, LOUISIANA-Lafayette 38
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kyla Oldacre had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Texas defeated Louisiana-Lafayette for its 27th straight win at home.
Oldacre, a 6-foot-6 senior, used her height advantage to convert 7 of 8 shots from the field. Oldacre could have surpassed her career-best 21 points but she missed 7 of 12 free throws.
Senior point guard Rori Harmon scored 12 points and added five assists, pulling within 29 of the school record (776) held by Kamie Ethridge, who set the mark in 1986 when Texas won the NCAA championship.
Breya Cunningham, alternating with Oldacre at center, grabbed 14 rebounds for the Longhorns (3-0). Justice Carlton scored 13 points and made four blocks.
Texas shot 59% from the field.
Freshman Imani Daniel led Louisiana-Lafayette (0-3) with 17 points.
NO. 19 VANDERBILT 96, FURMAN 48
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored 16 and Mikayla Blakes added 15 for Vanderbilt in a win over Furman.
Vanderbilt (2-0), which hadn’t played since a 74-65 victory over California in Paris, France last Monday, has won seven straight home openers dating to the 2019-20 season. The Commodores have also started the past four seasons 2-0.
Four other players for Vanderbilt scored in the double digits, including freshman Aubrey Galvan, who had 11 points and led the team with eight assists and seven rebounds. Justine Pissott had 13 points and six assists.
The Commadores started the game with a 10-0 run to quickly go up by double digits in the first quarter and went on a 22-7 run in the third quarter to pull away, leading 71-32.
Furman (1-2) shot 17 of 51 from the field (33.3%), and committed 28 turnovers for 41 Vanderbilt points.
NO. 25 WASHINGTON 87, MONTANA 56
SEATTLE (AP) — Sayvia Sellers scored 19 points, and Yulia Grabovskaia added 14 for Washington in a win against Montana.
The Huskies (2-0) scored the first points of the game and never trailed. They had a 9-0 run in the first quarter to go up 19-4, off a 3-pointer from Sellers. Brynn McGaughy scored 12 points, 10 in the second quarter, including six in an 11-0 run to extend Washington’s lead to 42-19 heading into halftime.
Montana (1-2) shot just 18 for 62 (29%). Both teams shot 33% from 3. Avery Waddington scored 14 points, Mack Konig had 11 and Jocelyn Land added 10.
Washington — which leads the all-time series 3-1 — avenged a 82-67 loss last season to Montana.
The Associated Press
