Lauren Betts Surpasses 1,500 Career Points as No. 4 UCLA Defeats Penn State 97-61.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Lauren Betts scored 25 points and surpassed 1,500 career points, leading No. 4 UCLA to a dominant 97-61 victory over Penn State on Wednesday.

Gianna Kneepkens contributed 17 points, Kiki Rice added 16, and Sienna Betts chipped in 10 as the Bruins (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten) captured their seventh consecutive win, maintaining a lead for all but 31 seconds of the game. After a single loss to No. 2 Texas on Nov. 27, UCLA entered the contest averaging just over 95 points per game. The Bruins quickly imposed their offense inside a quiet Rec Hall. Lauren Betts shot 11-for-19 from the field, starting the game with a layup that sparked UCLA’s early scoring runs. Kneepkens and Rice followed with consecutive 3-pointers, and Kneepkens added another from beyond the arc to give UCLA a 13-2 lead less than three minutes in. Penn State (7-7, 0-3) managed a brief response, but UCLA continued to pull away, finishing the first quarter on a 14-5 run while shooting 58% from the floor. The Bruins extended their dominance throughout the game, leading by as many as 37 points with 6:41 remaining in the fourth quarter and holding a 46-23 halftime advantage.

For Penn State, Gracie Merkle scored 15 points, and Kiyomi McMiller added 13. The team has now gone 1-15 against AP Top 10 opponents since Carolyn Kieger became head coach in 2019.

Up Next:UCLA will host No. 17 Southern California on Saturday night. Penn State is scheduled to visit Wisconsin on Sunday.