University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Saturday, March 21
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
32-1,18-0Big Ten
96
vs
43
California Baptist
23-11,15-3WAC
1st quarter1
2nd quarter2
3rd quarter3
4th quarter4
FinalF
California Baptist
15
19
4
5
43
UCLA
23
21
31
21
96
Photo by: Caren Nicdao
Double-Doubles by Betts Sisters, Dugalić Help UCLA’s Second-Half Surge over California Baptist
March 21, 2026 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – No. 1-seed UCLA (32-1) advances to the Round of 32 in the 2026 NCAA DI Women's Basketball Championship with a 96-43 win over California Baptist (23-11) on Saturday.
The Bruins outscored California Baptist 52-9 in the second half to close out a First Round win in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. UCLA's 53-point margin of victory marks the program's largest win in a postseason tournament game.
Three UCLA student-athletes recorded double-doubles in the win: Senior Lauren Betts (22 PTS, 10 REB), freshman Sienna Betts (10 PTS, 12 REB) and graduate student Angela Dugalić (10 PTS, 11 REB).
The Bruins won the battle of the boards, grabbing 62 rebounds to CBU's 21. UCLA matched the Lancers' rebounding total just on the offensive glass. The Bruins' 21 offensive rebounds led to 30 second-chance points in the win.
Lauren Betts led all scorers with 22 points (9-15 FG, 4-5 FT); she was one of five Bruins in double figures.
Lauren Betts controlled the tip off but the Bruins opened the game with three empty trips down to the other end of the floor. Senior Gabriela Jaquez took the lid off with a layup to tie it at 2-2. Dugalić was the second Bruin on the board before Jaquez got two more points from the free throw line. Graduate point guard Charlisse Leger-Walker got involved with a three from the top as the shot clock expired. Senior Kiki Rice stole a Lancer attempt to save the ball going out of bounds; the Bruin point guard got a free layup for her first points. Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens attacked off the bounce and was fouled while making a close-range jumper. She missed the and-one free throw attempt but Lauren Betts cleaned it up for a second-chance two. The Bruin center scored five more before Dugalić got to the line; the graduate forward was 1-for-2 on her free throws after drawing the bonus foul.
The Bruins closed out the quarter on a 14-3 run to take an eight-point lead going into the second quarter.
Lauren Betts unleashed her signature spin move to score first in the next period, then a quick post-up turned into another two points for the center. She had an and-one layup, good for UCLA's first nine points of the quarter. Rice used Sienna Betts for a screen to get to a side-stepping midrange jump shot, her second basket of the game.
Redshirt-sophomore Amanda Muse fought for her first two points with a put-back on an offensive rebound. Sienna Betts battled in the paint for her first pair of points; Rice added two more at the free throw line. The Bruins stayed active on the offensive glass, getting two before Dugalić was able to put it back in. Jaquez and Rice added for more before the halftime buzzer.
UCLA had 17 second-chance points at the break. The Bruins led 44-34 at the intermission.
Jaquez flew to the rim for a reverse layup, quickly opening the second-half scoring and igniting the Bruin offense. UCLA opened the quarter on an 11-0 run, forcing two CBU timeouts in the first two minutes and change.
Dugalić rebounded her own miss and floated a rainbow pass to Lauren Betts for a good look at the rim. Jaquez got a steal and fed it ahead to Rice for an open layup in transition Jaquez then got fouled on her next trip down and cashed in both free throws. Leger-Walker stole a long inbound pass by the Lancers and found Dugalić for a three, her third made shot in four attempts.
Rice made her way downhill and was fouled on a left-handed layup attempt. The point guard knocked down both and finished a perfect 10-for-10 from the line in the win. Kneepkens got her second midrange make to fall after attacking off the bounce. Lauren Betts swatted a shot that eventually found its way into Rice's hands for two on the break. Kneepkens and freshman Lena Bilic cashed in 3-pointers two trips apart; the makes sandwiched a Lauren Betts layup. Rice was fouled after rebounding a ball on the offensive glass to help UCLA complete a 14-0 run before the final break.
The Bruins outscored the Lancers 31-4 in the third, taking a 37-point lead into the final frame.
Jaquez opened the fourth like she did the previous period; the wing got to the rim for an and-one layup and earned three points the old-fashioned way. Her next 3-point attempt rattled out but Dugalić was there to clean the offensive glass. Sienna Betts added two more offensive rebounds following a Jaquez miss at the free throw line and stuck with it for her first made basket. She added another layup off a miss by freshman Christina Karamouzi before cashing in a turnaround jumper. The freshman Betts joined Dugalić in the double-double club with her final basket; the elder Betts also snagged a board to get into double-digit scoring and rebounding.
UP NEXT: vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State (March 23)
No. 1-seed UCLA hosts No. 8-seed Oklahoma State (24-9) on Monday, March 23, in hopes of advancing to its fourth-consecutive Sweet Sixteen.
The Bruins and Cowgirls tip off at 7 p.m. on ESPN Monday.
The Bruins outscored California Baptist 52-9 in the second half to close out a First Round win in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. UCLA's 53-point margin of victory marks the program's largest win in a postseason tournament game.
Three UCLA student-athletes recorded double-doubles in the win: Senior Lauren Betts (22 PTS, 10 REB), freshman Sienna Betts (10 PTS, 12 REB) and graduate student Angela Dugalić (10 PTS, 11 REB).
The Bruins won the battle of the boards, grabbing 62 rebounds to CBU's 21. UCLA matched the Lancers' rebounding total just on the offensive glass. The Bruins' 21 offensive rebounds led to 30 second-chance points in the win.
Lauren Betts led all scorers with 22 points (9-15 FG, 4-5 FT); she was one of five Bruins in double figures.
Lauren Betts controlled the tip off but the Bruins opened the game with three empty trips down to the other end of the floor. Senior Gabriela Jaquez took the lid off with a layup to tie it at 2-2. Dugalić was the second Bruin on the board before Jaquez got two more points from the free throw line. Graduate point guard Charlisse Leger-Walker got involved with a three from the top as the shot clock expired. Senior Kiki Rice stole a Lancer attempt to save the ball going out of bounds; the Bruin point guard got a free layup for her first points. Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens attacked off the bounce and was fouled while making a close-range jumper. She missed the and-one free throw attempt but Lauren Betts cleaned it up for a second-chance two. The Bruin center scored five more before Dugalić got to the line; the graduate forward was 1-for-2 on her free throws after drawing the bonus foul.
The Bruins closed out the quarter on a 14-3 run to take an eight-point lead going into the second quarter.
Lauren Betts unleashed her signature spin move to score first in the next period, then a quick post-up turned into another two points for the center. She had an and-one layup, good for UCLA's first nine points of the quarter. Rice used Sienna Betts for a screen to get to a side-stepping midrange jump shot, her second basket of the game.
The spin move leaves every defense dizzy ????????????
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 22, 2026
??: ESPN#GoBruins | @laurenbetts12 pic.twitter.com/mUuGIvEgfG
Redshirt-sophomore Amanda Muse fought for her first two points with a put-back on an offensive rebound. Sienna Betts battled in the paint for her first pair of points; Rice added two more at the free throw line. The Bruins stayed active on the offensive glass, getting two before Dugalić was able to put it back in. Jaquez and Rice added for more before the halftime buzzer.
UCLA had 17 second-chance points at the break. The Bruins led 44-34 at the intermission.
Jaquez flew to the rim for a reverse layup, quickly opening the second-half scoring and igniting the Bruin offense. UCLA opened the quarter on an 11-0 run, forcing two CBU timeouts in the first two minutes and change.
Dugalić rebounded her own miss and floated a rainbow pass to Lauren Betts for a good look at the rim. Jaquez got a steal and fed it ahead to Rice for an open layup in transition Jaquez then got fouled on her next trip down and cashed in both free throws. Leger-Walker stole a long inbound pass by the Lancers and found Dugalić for a three, her third made shot in four attempts.
Dugs knew it was good before it dropped ?? It's getting loud in Pauley! ??
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 22, 2026
??: ESPN#GoBruins | @Char_legerwalks x @AngelaDugalic pic.twitter.com/eU5oTMv61q
Rice made her way downhill and was fouled on a left-handed layup attempt. The point guard knocked down both and finished a perfect 10-for-10 from the line in the win. Kneepkens got her second midrange make to fall after attacking off the bounce. Lauren Betts swatted a shot that eventually found its way into Rice's hands for two on the break. Kneepkens and freshman Lena Bilic cashed in 3-pointers two trips apart; the makes sandwiched a Lauren Betts layup. Rice was fouled after rebounding a ball on the offensive glass to help UCLA complete a 14-0 run before the final break.
The Bruins outscored the Lancers 31-4 in the third, taking a 37-point lead into the final frame.
Jaquez opened the fourth like she did the previous period; the wing got to the rim for an and-one layup and earned three points the old-fashioned way. Her next 3-point attempt rattled out but Dugalić was there to clean the offensive glass. Sienna Betts added two more offensive rebounds following a Jaquez miss at the free throw line and stuck with it for her first made basket. She added another layup off a miss by freshman Christina Karamouzi before cashing in a turnaround jumper. The freshman Betts joined Dugalić in the double-double club with her final basket; the elder Betts also snagged a board to get into double-digit scoring and rebounding.
UP NEXT: vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State (March 23)
No. 1-seed UCLA hosts No. 8-seed Oklahoma State (24-9) on Monday, March 23, in hopes of advancing to its fourth-consecutive Sweet Sixteen.
The Bruins and Cowgirls tip off at 7 p.m. on ESPN Monday.
Team Stats
CBU
UCLA
FG%
.250
.500
3FG%
.200
.333
FT%
.417
.840
RB
21
62
TO
9
11
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
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Friday, March 20
Bruin Insider Show - Cori Close (March 17, 2026)
Wednesday, March 18
UCLA W. Basketball Media Availability - Selection Sunday (March 15, 2026)
Sunday, March 15