LOS ANGELES — UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close wanted to give Lauren Betts her moment.
Sunday night was the last time the Bruins would play at Pauley Pavilion this season, so with No. 1 UCLA up 17 points on Richmond and its ticket to the Sweet 16 punched after another layup from Betts, Close called for one last substitution.
With her final field goal, Betts reached 30 points and — along with her 14 rebounds — became the first UCLA player to score 30 points and grab at least 10 boards in an NCAA tournament game. It also marked her first 30-10 game as the Bruins rolled to an 84-67 win.
As she exited with 26 seconds left, the crowd gave Betts a standing ovation. She also added 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, while shooting 14 of 17 from the field.
“She’s an absolute generational player … an elite player,” Close said. “She’s incredibly competitive. She affects the game in so many ways on both offense and defense. I mean the list goes on and on.”
On a night the Spiders pushed the Bruins — heading into halftime tied at 36 — Betts was the difference-maker. When she received the ball in the post, she was swarmed by Richmond defenders but still scored at will.
At 6-foot-8, she creates a mismatch that has been the fulcrum of the Bruins’ success this…
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