No. 1-Seed Bruins Advance to Second-Consecutive Big Ten Title Game

Saturday, March 7

Indianapolis, Ind.

11:00 a.m. PT

UCLA

30-1,18-0Big Ten

Ohio State

26-7,13-5Big Ten

Ohio St.

UCLA

Photo by: Caren Nicdao

No. 1-Seed Bruins Advance to Second-Consecutive Big Ten Title Game

March 07, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Big Ten Tournament Central Box Score (PDF)

INDIANAPOLIS – The top-seeded Bruins (30-1) led wire-to-wire in UCLA's 72 -62 win over No. 5-seeded Ohio State (26-7) in the semifinal round of the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament.

Senior Kiki Rice was the top scorer for the Bruins, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting. She added eight rebounds and a pair of assists to her final stat line.

UCLA assisted on 20 of its 28 makes on Saturday with three Bruins totaling four or more assists.

Center Lauren Betts finished just shy of a double-double, scoring 14 points and corralling nine rebounds in the victory. The center had four assists, two blocks and two steals.

Betts and Rice were joined by three other Bruins in double figures: Angela Dugalić (14), Gianna Kneepkens (13) and Gabriela Jaquez (12).

Lauren Betts opened the game block on Jaloni Cambridge, then screened for Kneepkens on the next trip down to get the graduate guard an open midrange jumper. The two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year then came up with a steal that started the break, getting to Jaquez for a layup. Jaquez's defensive stop on the other end quickly turned into a Rice layup in the three-on-one. Rice got two more scores before Sienna Betts hit a jumper on the right block, assisted by Charlisse Leger-Walker. The Bruins assisted on five of their first six shots, shooting 6-for-7 before the Buckeyes called timeout for the first media break.

DPOY and POTY handles the switch ??

??: @BigTenNetwork #GoBruins | @laurenbetts12 pic.twitter.com/a1FOIon3NP
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 7, 2026

Kneepkens used Sienna Betts for a screen to get another middy to fall, but the Bruins ended the first quarter of play with a near-four minute scoring drought. Lauren Betts got her second block of the game, swatting Kennedy Cambridge to help UCLA's defense stay firm.

The Bruins led 14-10 after the first ten minutes.

Lauren Betts cashed a jumper with shot clock winding down on the first possession of the quarter, her second make of the game. Dugalić took advantage of a mismatch on two-straight possessions, scoring at the rim on back-to-back looks. The Serbian senior national team member made a strong effort on the defensive end after scoring, coming away with a block. Lauren Betts got another steal; she came down court and was rewarded with a score. The center's defender was in drop coverage, which allowed the center to splash an elbow jumper on that offensive trip. Kneepkens made UCLA's first triple of the game shortly after.

Lauren Betts does it all ??

Forces the turnover - then seals it with a midrange. ??#B1GWBBT x @UCLAWBB pic.twitter.com/LfSAtOKVdr
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) March 7, 2026

Freshman Lena Bilić got in and got a steal, which turned into a free throw make by Jaquez after a Buckeye shooting foul. Leger-Walker got to the basket and hit the brakes, shooting a short jumper off the glass for her first score of the game.

Rice connected on a middy to cap a 10-0 run. Dugalić was active on the offensive boards, getting a put-back look that drew a shooting foul on the attempt. The graduate forward netted both free throws. UCLA got a pair of offensive rebounds to close out the quarter but rimmed out on the second-chance looks.

The Bruins held Ohio State to a season-low 21 points at the intermission, leading 32-21 after two.

UCLA started shaky against the press to open the second half, but found Lauren Betts for a bump and score. Dugalić put the moves on a smaller defender again, shimmying before kissing the ball off the glass for two. Lauren Betts was left alone for another long two, which found the bottom of the net. Jaquez unleashed her signature floater over the Buckeye center. The Bruins ran an out-of-bounds play for Kneepkens, who side-stepped her way for three. Lauren Betts buried her defender for a baby hook.

Threepkens loses a Buckeye to cash in the three! ????

??: @BigTenNetwork #GoBruins | @giannakneepkens pic.twitter.com/OKDJeHZen9
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 7, 2026

Rice was 2-for-2 from the free throw line after attacking the basket; she shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the line in the win. Jaquez connected on a corner three to get UCLA back up by double digits. Rice scored the final bucket in the third, getting downhill after a handoff by Lauren Betts freed a lane; the point guard put UCLA up 52-40 before the third quarter buzzer.

Kneepkens splashed a corner three on the second possession of the final frame. The graduate transfer drove on the trip down and dished to Lauren Betts, who laid it in for two. Rice lost her defender under a screen, stopping on the wing and cashing in a triple. After setting up her teammate, Lauren Betts took one for herself. The center put the ball on the floor and drove from the left wing, outreaching her defender for a driving layup.

DOWNHILL DRIVER, LAUREN BETTS ?????????

??: @BigTenNetwork #GoBruins | @laurenbetts12 pic.twitter.com/APr3czApX5
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 7, 2026

Out of the television timeout, Dugalić blocked a Buckeye shot on help-side defense, then cashed a corner three to add to UCLA's lead. Leger-Walker got out in transition and dimed Jaquez with a wrap-around pass. Lauren Betts snatched an offensive rebound out of the hands of a Buckeye big, setting up a second look; Rice got fouled on her layup attempt and added two points from the charity stripe. UCLA's final five points came at the free throw line; Dugalić made three of her final four to seal the semifinal win.

UP NEXT: Big Ten Championship (Sunday, March 8)
The Bruins advance to the conference tournament championship game for the second time in as many seasons after claiming the 2025 tournament title.

No. 1-seed UCLA will play the winner of No. 2-seed Iowa and No. 3-seed Michigan on Sunday, March 8, at 11:15 a.m. PT. The championship bout will be broadcast on CBS.