NEWARK, N.J. — Lauren Betts had 24 points, nine rebounds and a school-record nine blocks to help the No. 1 UCLA women’s basketball team beat 25th-ranked Baylor 72-57 on Monday in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic.
The doubleheader that also featured No. 7 Texas and eighth-ranked Maryland was created to honor King’s legacy and celebrate female empowerment in sports. It’s the first time the names of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King have been licensed for a sporting event.
UCLA (18-0) jumped all over Baylor to build a 17-2 lead and never trailed. The Bears (16-4), who saw their five-game winning streak end, got within five a few times, but each time Betts and the Bruins answered.
The Bruins had a 41-36 lead midway through the third quarter before scoring six straight to restore a double-digit advantage. Baylor didn’t get within single digits the rest of the way.
Yaya Felder scored 10 points to lead the Bears.
Betts broke the school record for blocks she held with Corinne Costa of seven. Betts reached that mark in her last game against Penn State last week. Costa did it four times from 2011-14.
The Bruins remained one of two unbeaten teams in Division I women’s basketball, along with No. 5 LSU. UCLA will remain on the East Coast for the week to face Rutgers Thursday and then Maryland.
The Bears had entered the Top 25 this week for the first time since early in the season.