LOS ANGELES — UCLA has Lauren Betts. It’s a simple statement, a truth that differentiates the Bruins from all their foes, both in size and ability to shift a game in favor at Pauley Pavilion demonstrably.
USC does not have Betts. Nor Kiki Iriafen or Rayah Marshall at its disposal anymore. The Trojans did not have a response for the Bruins’ star senior center among their frontcourt-by-committee approach.
In the first of two 2026 rivalry matchups between No. 4 UCLA and No. 17 USC, Betts’ size on the offensive end – forcing her way into the paint for a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday evening – and on the defensive end, where she shut the door on the Trojans’ shooting performance from inside the arc to a dire 23% from the field, proved all the difference in the Bruins’ 80-46 victory.
The 34-point victory was the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since February 2021, when UCLA defeated USC 93-51.
Betts, along with teammates Angela Dugalic and younger sister, Sienna Betts, held USC post players to 1-for-13 from the field – just two points. Even if UCLA (14-1, 4-0 Big Ten) wasn’t getting the response it desired from Betts in the early aughts of Saturday night, the Bruins’ backcourt was firing on all cylinders.
Midway through the second quarter, USC forward Dayana Mendes whiffed on a 3-point shot, sending an airball effort into the hands of fellow post Yakiya Milton. Betts stuffed Milton’s second-chance effort and sent the ball down the court on the fast break.
And there was Gianna Kneepkens – UCLA’s graduate student 3-point threat – waiting in the corner where she hammered down the open look. The Bruins then led 34-26 with 3:18 remaining in the second quarter. The Utah transfer’s long-range bucket sparked a fury of offensive firepower – the Bruins ended the second quarter on a 16-2 run to lead the Trojans (10-4, 2-1) by 15 points at halftime.
Coach Cori Close didn’t just have to rely on Kneepkens, who finished the contest with 15 points. Graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker asserted herself for eight points after having just a combined eight points in her previous three games. Senior guard Kiki Rice even stamped her impact on the game with 12 second-half points after scoring just two points in the first half.
It wasn’t always easy for the Bruins – having to fend off a furious 3-point barrage from the Trojans in the first quarter. USC senior guard Kara Dunn sank two of the Trojans’ four 3-pointers of their first five attempts. During the rest of Saturday night, USC shot 8-for-24 from beyond the arc.
Londynn Jones, who sent the Trojans packing with a five 3-pointer performance at Pauley Pavilion in 2024, struggled on the other side of the crosstown battle. Playing second fiddle to freshman sensation Jazzy Davidson (10 points) and Dunn (11 points), the senior guard couldn’t imprint her mark in Westwood on Saturday, shooting 1-for-9 from the field.
UCLA outrebounded USC 46-26, with six Bruins recording five or more rebounds. Rice led with eight assists, of UCLA’s 24 overall.
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