By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Lauren Betts is dominating both ends of the court these days, and her play is limiting the stress for the UCLA women’s basketball team.
Betts had 25 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots to help the top-ranked Bruins beat Rutgers, 84-66, on Thursday night.
The 6-foot-7 Betts, who shot 12 for 16 from the field, now has 21 blocks over her last three games for UCLA (19-0 overall, 7-0 Big Ten), which remained one of the two unbeaten teams in the country along with No. 5 LSU (20-0, 5-0 SEC).
The Scarlet Knights (8-12, 0-9) hung around for about 12 minutes before the Bruins asserted themselves behind Betts. UCLA led 21-16 early in the second quarter before scoring nine straight points to start a 20-6 run. Betts had eight points during the spurt.
The Bruins led 45-29 at halftime, and Rutgers never got closer than 14 in the second half.
Londynn Jones added 12 points (all on 3-pointers), Angela Dugalic scored 11 and Kiki Rice had 10 points and 10 assists for UCLA, which outrebounded Rutgers 49-35 and had a 42-30 advantage in points in the paint.
UCLA shot 45.7% from the field (9 for 29 from 3-point range) and finished with 25 assists on its 32 field goals, with most of the baskets that weren’t assisted coming on putbacks.
Destiny Adams had 15 points and 13 rebounds to pace Rutgers, which had not faced the top-ranked team in the nation since 2014, when the Scarlet Knights squared off with Connecticut twice in American Athletic Conference play.
The Scarlet Knights shot 35.3% from the field and never led.
UCLA has been on the East Coast for nearly a week as the Bruins beat No. 25 Baylor in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic on Monday.
Because of the wildfires in Los Angeles, UCLA classes have been held remotely over the past few weeks, so the players haven’t missed anything while on the road.
UP NEXT
UCLA visits No. 8 Maryland on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT to finish its East Coast swing.