SEATTLE — Lauren Betts had 23 points and top-ranked UCLA women’s basketball survived a late challenge with a 73-62 victory over Washington in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Kiki Rice added 18 for the undefeated Bruins (9-0, 1-0), who led by as many as 17 in the third quarter.
Elle Ladine led the Huskies (7-3, 0-1) with 19 points, going 3 for 5 from beyond the arc. Dalayah Daniels added 14 points.
Sayvia Sellers and Ladine hit back-to-back 3-pointer to close Washington’s deficit to 64-59 with 4:04 left. But the Bruins answered with a 7-0 run and were not threatened the rest of the way.
UCLA led 35-25 at the half.
UCLA: Despite having its toughest rebounding battle of the season, UCLA outscored its hosts 50-22 in the paint, and 12-3 on the fastbreak.
Washington: It’s the second close loss to a top-10 team for the Huskies, who fell to No. 5 LSU 68-67 in the Bahamas on Nov. 25 in a game they led until the final seconds.
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After Washington got within five in the final quarter, Betts got the ball on UCLA’s ensuing possession and scored on a jumper and a free throw. She added a layup in the paint and Gabriela Jaquez added a fast-break basket to seal it.
For the first time this season, UCLA — which came into the day as the fourth-best rebounding team in the country — lost the battle on the glass, with the Huskies outrebounding the Bruins 32-30.
UCLA will return to Southern California and play at Long Beach State on Saturday. Washington will stay at home and host Utah in a nonconference matchup on Saturday.