Lauren Betts Season 2025-26

2025-26
Led UCLA in scoring and rebounding in 27.7 minutes per game… Shot 58.2 percent from the field during her senior season… Repeated as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year with 2.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game… Played 37 games during her final collegiate campaign, starting all 37 of her appearances… Averaged a career-high 3.2 assists per game, collecting 100+ assists for the first time in her career… One of three players in NCAA history to have a season with 600+ points, 300+ rebounds, 100+ assists and 75+ blocks (Breanna Stewart 3x, Cheryl Miller 2x); she’s the first to do so since Stewart at UConn in 2015-16… One of 45 DI women’s basketball players 6-foot-6 or taller to play at least 2,500 minutes since 2000, Betts is the only one to never foul out of a game… Was included in the 18-person training camp roster for the USA Basketball women’s senior national team… Betts was the only active collegiate player who made the trip to Durham, N.C., for the Dec. 12-14 camp… Led UCLA to an 18-0 record in Big Ten play, becoming the fourth team in conference history to end the season undefeated in conference matchups… Earned Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 8) and was included as one of five USBWA Women’s National Players of the Week for her 24-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance against Oregon in UCLA’s B1G opener… Named Big Ten Player of the Week (Jan. 5) again for the set of games over the holiday, where she led UCLA to a 3-0 week to open the full slate of conference games - including two ranked wins at No. 19 OSU and against No. 17 USC… Betts scored 20.3 PPG and grabbed 11.7 RPG; she had her fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season in those ranked victories… Wrapped the season with 14 double-doubles… Had three-consecutive double-doubles to close out the NCAA tournament… Scored a career-high 35 points (15-19 FG) against Oklahoma State in the second round of the 2026 NCAA March Madness tournament, her final home game inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial… Named to the Sacramento 2 All-Tournament Team… The 2026 NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and an All-Tournament Team honoree… HONORS: Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year… First Big Ten student-athlete to capture both awards in the same season… First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches* & Media*), Big Ten All-Defensive (Coaches* & Media)… Big Ten All-Tournament Team… Associated Press All-America First Team… USBWA All-America First Team… ESPN All-America First Team… The Athletic All-America First Team… Sports Illustrated All-America First Team… Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Finalist… Lisa Leslie Center of the Year for the second-consecutive system… Wade Trophy Finalist… Wooden Award Top 5… Winter Academic All-Big Ten… 2026 Honda Sport Award Winner for basketball… Sacramento Regional 2 All-Tournament Team… Sacramento 2 Most Outstanding Player… 2026 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player… 2026 NCAA March Madness All-Tournament Team… WNBA DRAFT: Selected fourth overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics (Round 1, Pick 4).
*indicates unanimous selection

2024-25
An outstanding year for the Bruin center… Became UCLA women’s basketball’s first-ever national defensive player of the year… Was a unanimous selection for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by coaches in the conference… Achieved First Bruin with 600+ points, 300+ rebounds, 100+ blocks in a season…  Set a new single-season blocks record with her 100 rejections this year… Also captured the UCLA single-game blocks record with nine against No. 25 Baylor at the Coretta Scott King Classic… The team’s leading scorer (20.2 PPG) had a career-high 33 points at No. 8 Maryland, one of four games in which she scored 30+ points… Had 19 double-doubles this season, the second most by a Bruin in program history… Showed offensive versatility by setting a new career-high in assists (11) vs. Minnesota, the most by a player 6-foot-7 or taller since 2002-03, according to Stathead’s game log archive (previous: 9, Brittney Griner - 3/9/2013)… Became just the third player to record multiple 30-point, 10-rebound double-doubles in an NCAA tournament in the last 25 years, joining Elena Delle Donne and Brittney Griner… Betts is the only to do so shooting 80 percent or better from the field… STATS: Ranked first in the Big Ten in blocks (100) and blocks per game (2.9 BPG), fifth in the NCAA in those categories… First in the B1G, second in the NCAA in field goals made (294)… Second in the B1G, fifth in the NCAA in field goal percentage (64.8 FG%)… HONORS: 3x Big Ten Player of the Week (Nov. 18, Jan. 27, Feb. 24)… Big Ten Winter Academic Honor Roll… First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches* & Media*)… Big Ten All-Defensive Team (Coaches* & Media)… Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (Coaches* & Media)… Rainbow Wahine Showdown All-Tournament Team and Most Outstanding Player… Big Ten Tournament All-Tournament Team and Most Outstanding Player… Spokane 1 Regional All-Region Team and Most Outstanding Player… 2025 NCAA Tournament All-Tournament Team… Associated Press First Team All-America… John R. Wooden Award All-American… 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year… Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year… Naismith First Team All-America… USBWA First Team All-America… WBCA Defensive Player of the Year… WBCA First Team All-America.
 
*indicates unanimous selection

2023-24
Set new single-game career highs in eight statistical categories in her debut season with the Bruins… Recorded a career-high 18 rebounds against then-No. 20 Florida State in UCLA’s 17-point win over the Seminoles on Dec. 10… Repeated her 18-rebound mark against No. 2-seed USC in the Pac-12 semifinal on March 8… Closed the season with three-consecutive double-doubles on her way to 12 on the year… Recorded 14 points and 17 rebounds with four blocks against No. 3-seed LSU in the NCAA tournament… Swatted a career-high six shots against then-No. 6 USC on Dec. 30… Scored her career-high 24 points after knocking down a late jumper against then-No. 11 Oregon State in the heartbreaking loss on Feb. 16… Played 29 games, starting 27 of her appearances… Averaged 27.2 minutes per game… Led UCLA in points (14.9) and rebounds (9.3) per game… Shot a team-leading .643 from the floor, which ranked third in the NCAA for the season… Named to the 2024 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award Top 10 list… Also made the cut for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Late Season Top 20 Watch List… Joined Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice on the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s Player of the Year Midseason Team… Honors: Five-time UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Ready… All-Pac-12 (Coaches)… Pac-12 All-Defensive (Coaches)… All-Pac-12 (Media)… Pac-12 All-Defensive (Media)… Pac-12 All-Tournament Team… Albany 2 All-Regional Tournament Team (NCAA)… USBWA All-America Honorable Mention… Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention.

Prior to UCLA (at Stanford)…
2022-23
Appeared in 33 games off the bench… Averaged 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and nearly one block in 9.7 minutes per game… Shot a team-high 60.2 percent from the field, the fifth-best single-season shooting percentage in school history… Ranked fourth on the team in rebounding and fifth in scoring… Scored a season-high 18 points against CSUN (11/9)… First double-double came against Grambling State (11/26), scoring 11 points with 13 rebounds… Finished with 10 double-digit scoring performances, including five of her last nine games vs. Pac-12 opponents… Dished a season-best three assists at No. 21 Colorado (2/23)… Blocked a season-high four shots at No. 17 Arizona (2/9)… Totaled three steals at Portland (11/13)… Averaged over eight points per game in her last 11 appearances of the season… Pac-12 regular-season champion… HONORS: Pac-12 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention (Coaches)… Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (Feb. 13, 2023)… USA Basketball: Has won two gold medals playing for the United States (2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary, 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Chile) and a silver medal (2023 FIBA Americup W)… Named to the All-Star Five at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship after averaging a double-double… Youngest player on the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup team, nearly averaging a double-double.
 
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2022 graduate of Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo., she was a five-star talent… Rated as the No. 1 player in the country according to both ESPN HoopGurlz and Prospects Nation… McDonald's All-American (2022)… Jordan Brand Classic All-American (2022)… WBCA High School Player of the Year (2022)… Two-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year (2021-22)… One of four players in state history to win the award multiple times… CHSAA Colorado Player of the Year (2022)… Four-time all-conference and all-state (2018-22)… Won Colorado state championship as a senior in 2021-22, averaging 17.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 3.5 assists per game… As a junior in 2020-21, averaged 17.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 80 percent from the field… Team advanced to semifinals of the state championship… Advanced to the state championship game as both a freshman and sophomore… Played club basketball for Colorado Premier (2019-21)… Also played volleyball as a freshman and enjoyed competitive swimming as a child.
 
PERSONAL
Born in Vitoria, Spain and lived in Barcelona, Seville, Málaga and San Sebastian before moving to Colorado at the age of eight… Daughter of Michelle and Andy Betts… Mother, Michelle, played volleyball at Long Beach State, winning the 1993 national championship… Father, Andy, played basketball at Long Beach State… Picked in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets… Featured experience playing for both England and Great Britain national teams… Played professional basketball in Europe for 14 years in Spain, Italy, Greece and Ukraine… Oldest of four children, with younger sister Sienna and younger brothers Dylan and Ashton… Volunteered locally with Project C.U.R.E., preparing medical supplies to be sent to developing countries around the world… Donated her time at the Ronald McDonald House-Denver and as a youth basketball coach.