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It was a Big Ten showdown on Wednesday, with No. 1 UCLA taking on No. 8 Ohio State. The Bruins took care of business, defeating the Buckeyes 65-52.
Lauren Betts dominated with a double-double, ending the night with 19 points and 14 rebounds. The Bruins’ backcourt also shined in this game. Kiki Rice scored 12 points on 50 percent shooting, while Gabriela Jaquez had 17 points along with six rebounds.
On the Ohio State side, Jaloni Cambridge did her best to pull off the upset. She had a game-high 21 points, tied for the most rebounds on the Buckeyes with eight and also produced a team-high six assists.
UCLA remains undefeated on the season with 22 victories, and Ohio State is now 20-2. Both of their losses came to Big Ten opponents.
How the Bruins earned win No. 22
Things started well for Ohio in the opening quarter. After a Cambridge 3-pointer, they led 11-6. However, UCLA went on a 5-1 scoring run to close out the first 10 minutes and held a two-point advantage entering the second quarter.
For the rest of the second half, both offenses struggled. Still, UCLA was able to outscore Ohio State thanks to Betts. She got going in the second quarter, scoring eight-straight points as she matched Ohio State for basket for basket in the period.
The Buckeyes didn’t concede the result right away. They fought back in the third frame, relying on Cambridge and Cotie McMahon, who scored a combined 12-straight points for Ohio State to cut the deficit down to just two points, 40-38, with 2:49 left in the quarter.
Janiah Barker stepped up big for the Bruins in this pivotal moment. She scored four points to help UCLA maintain the lead. Barker only scored six points in this contest, but she was as efficient as possible, going 3-for-3 from the field.
This game could have been up for grabs in the fourth, but UCLA demonstrated why they are the top team in the country. They went on a 15-0 run that spanned six minutes to close the door on Ohio State’s upset opportunity. Rice, Jaquez, Betts and Barker all scored during this stretch for the Bruins. With under three minutes left in the game, the Buckeyes ran out of time for a late push.
Key takeaways
To beat UCLA, you can’t have long scoring droughts.
Far too often, Ohio State struggled to put points on the board. This hurt them in the second quarter, and they spent the entire third getting back into the game. By the time the fourth came, UCLA was able to close Ohio State out without having to play with much urgency because the Buckeyes had exhausted all their energy coming from behind.
UCLA dominated the inside, largely due to Betts. The Bruins outscored the Buckeyes 40-28 in the paint, and also won the rebounding battle 49-33. Unless you have an all-time shooting game, these stats against UCLA all but guarantee a loss.
Still, Ohio State made it competitive, and with McMahon and Cambridge, they have a combo that is a force to be reckoned with. We’ll see if they can still make a push for the Big Ten title if UCLA drops a couple of games. Ohio State can strengthen their case on Saturday, when they face No. 7 USC in the second stop of their LA swing.
