NCAAW: Betts, Bruins blow out Trojans in battle for LA

The resumption of the USC-UCLA rivalry was as vibrant as ever on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

Pauley Pavilion was packed, with fans of both sides cheering for their school. However, only those supporting the Bruins had much to celebrate. No. 4 UCLA blew out No. 17 USC, having essentially wrapped up the win by halftime.

In the end, the Bruins cruised to an 80-46 victory to remain undefeated in Big Ten play.

Lauren Betts racked up another double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Gianna Kneepkens scored 15 points and Kiki Rice scored 14, shooting 7-for-11 from the field.

USC couldn’t do much in this one offensively, mustering up just 46 points. Jazzy Davidson scored 10 points, and Kara Dunn led the Trojans with only 11 points.

How Betts and the Bruins earned the LA blowout

Despite the final result being a blowout, it was actually close early in the game. USC’s starters shared the ball, and four of them were able to get on the board during the opening quarter. Betts did most of the heavy lifting for UCLA, but USC hung around, and the score was all tied up at 16 after 10 minutes of action.

The rest of the first half was all UCLA. With 4:52 left in the second quarter, the Bruins took over. Gabriela Jaquez started the run with a jumper, followed by a Betts basket and then a 3-pointer by Kneepkens.

Another deep basket by Charlisse Leger-Walker and another Kneepkens jumper, and the game went from a one-point contest to UCLA being up by 15. Rice went coast to coast to beat the buzzer, breaking the game wide-open. UCLA led 43-28 at the half.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same. UCLA continued to pile on, and USC could never close the overflowing dam. Betts continued to dominate inside, and with Rice and Kneepkens scoring in the paint as well, UCLA was up 55-34 midway through the period.

Davidson scored and then Dunn hit a 3-pointer for USC, but with the Trojans unable to score another field goal for the rest of the period, the deficit increased to 25 points, and the result was a foregone conclusion. USC kept their main players in the game to start the fourth, but they never made even a fake comeback. Midway through the quarter, USC took out their key players, and it was just time to run out the clock.

It was already understood, but now it’s clear: UCLA is a tier above USC.

The Trojans can improve; they could’ve shot better, and it’s unlikely they’ll lose this badly when these two face off again on March 1. However, the gap is enormous, and it just might not be USC’s year to compete with Betts and the win-now Bruins.

Last year belonged to JuJu Watkins and USC, but 2026 is all about Betts and UCLA.