Betts, Rice help No. 4 UCLA women beat Cal Poly 115-28

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lauren Betts had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Kiki Rice added 23 points to lead No. 4 UCLA to a 115-28 win Tuesday over Cal Poly.

UCLA's 87-point margin of victory was the fourth largest in program history. The Bruins beat UC San Diego by record 97 points (117-20) on Jan. 11, 1975

Betts’ younger sister, freshman forward Sienna Betts, made her much-anticipated debut with the Bruins after suffering a lower left leg injury in an October scrimmage.

UCLA (10-1) started the rout early as the Mustangs — whose tallest starter is listed at 6-foot — had no answer for the 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts inside the paint at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA has won four in a row since its 76-65 loss to Texas on Nov. 26. The Mustangs (2-8) have lost four in a row.

The Bruins led 60-16 at halftime, with Lauren Betts scoring 18 of those points.

Sienna Betts — regarded as the second-best recruit in this freshman class — entered the game in the first quarter and her first career statistic was an assist to her All-America sister and her first point came on a free throw in the second quarter. She got her first career basket on a fade-away jumper from the baseline in the fourth quarter. She had five points, two assists and one turnover in 10 minutes.

Gianna Kneepkens scored 19 points and added six steals for the Bruins. Gabriela Jaquez had 14 points, and in the second quarter, Jaquez got a defensive rebound, went coast-to-coast an scored a layup and converted the three-point play. Megan Grant, a two-time All-America selection for UCLA softball, got in the game and scored on a layup in the fourth quarter to delight of her teammates and fans.

Charish Thompson and Katie Peiffer each had eight points to lead the Mustangs of the Big West Conference. The Bruins dominated in every statistical category, forcing the Mustangs into 30 turnovers and outrebounding them 43-15.

Up next

Cal Poly travels to No. 19 USC on Thursday. UCLA hosts Long Beach State on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball