Lauren Betts leads the way for UCLA in rout of Wisconsin

By Canadian Press on February 26, 2025.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Lauren Betts had 26 points and 10 rebounds and second-ranked UCLA routed Wisconsin 91-61 on Wednesday night to set up a showdown with No. 4 Southern California for the Big Ten title.

UCLA (28-1, 16-1 Big Ten) moved into a first-place tie with USC heading into the regular-season finale Saturday at home against the Trojans, who handed the Bruins their only defeat, 71-60 earlier this month.

Betts hit 11 of 12 shots from the field and all four of her free throws for her 15th double-double of the season. Timea Gardner added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Serah Williams had 22 points and Ronnie Porter 13 for Wisconsin (13-15, 4-13).

Wisconsin missed its first seven shots of the third quarter as UCLA extended its lead to 55-30 midway through the period. The Bruins led 70-40 entering the final period.

NO. 10 TCU 91, HOUSTON 56

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hailey Van Lith scored 26 points, Madison Conner added 15, all on 3-pointers, and No. 10 TCU finished a perfect regular season at home with a blowout of last-place Houston.

The Horned Frogs (27-3, 15-2 Big 12) extended their winning streak at Schollmaier Arena to 22 games while finishing the regular season at 19-0. TCU is a likely host for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

The breezy victory extended school single-season records for overall victories and Big 12 wins while setting up TCU’s Sunday showdown with No. 17 Baylor in Waco for the outright Big 12 regular-season championship.

Gia Cooke scored 25 points for the Cougars (5-23, 1-16), who lost their 11th consecutive game. Eight of the losses have been by double figures.

Sedona Prince had 13 points and nine rebounds in the highest-scoring Big 12 game this season for the Horned Frogs.

NO. 12 OHIO ST. 89, NO. 23 MICHIGAN ST. 78

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored a career-high 33 points, Ajae Petty had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 12 Ohio State defeated No. 23 Michigan State.

Cambridge, the current Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week, scored 14 points in the third quarter, including the Buckeyes’ last nine as they stretched their 13-point halftime lead to 79-59 entering the fourth.

The Spartans rallied early in the final period, as their 13-0 run made it a seven-point game with four minutes remaining. Ohio State answered with a layup by Cotie McMahon and a Cambridge jumper to deny the Spartans.

Cambridge made 5 of 9 3-pointers and was 12-for-22 shooting overall. Petty’s 15 rebounds were a season-high, as were her six assists. McMahon had 17 points for the Buckeyes (24-4, 13-4 Big Ten).

Theryn Hallock scored a career-high 29 points, Grace VanSlooten 19, Julia Ayrault 11 and Jaddan Simmons 10 for Michigan State (20-8, 10-7).

NO. 18 WEST VIRGINIA 75, UTAH 48

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — JJ Quinerly scored a career-high 38 points on 16-of-21 shooting to tie the program’s single-game scoring record, and No. 18 West Virginia beat Utah to finish 16-0 at home this season.

Quinerly matched Meg Bulger (2004-08) for the most points by a Mountaineer women’s player in likely her final game inside the WVU Coliseum.

Quinerly scored 14 points in the first half to help build a 30-18 lead. She scored 15 of West Virginia’s 21 third-quarter points, including a steal and fast-break layup for a 51-36 lead entering the fourth.

Quinerly made a 3-pointer from the corner with 8:19 left in the fourth — her fourth in five attempts — to set a career-high with 34 points. She sat out much of the quarter with West Virginia leading by 20-plus for the final 3:51.

Utah entered as one of the nation’s premier shooting teams, ranking inside the top 15 in the nation for field goals (47.7%) and 3-point makes (38.5%). Utah finished with 17 made field goals, in 54 attempts, and had 28 turnovers.

Maye Toure led Utah (21-7, 12-5) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens, averaging a team-high 19.4, was held to nine points.

NO. 21 OKLAHOMA ST. 74, CINCINNATI 54

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Anna Gret Asi scored 15 points to lead a balanced offense and No. 21 Oklahoma State defeated Cincinnati to wrap up the best home season in program history.

The Cowgirls set a program record for homecourt wins, going 17-1.

The Cowgirls shot only 39% in the first half but their six 3-pointers and a 12-2 advantage in points after turnovers helped build a 38-21 halftime lead. Cincinnati shot 24% in the half, making only seven shots.

The Bearcats scored the last eight points of the third quarter to get within 15 points entering the fourth, but their deficit remained in double digits until Reagan Jackson’s 3-pointer made it 69-60 with about a minute remaining in the game.

Alexia Smith, who went 8 for 10 from the line, finished off the win with four free throws in the final minute.

Cincinnati outscored Oklahoma State 43-36 in the second half.

The Associated Press

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