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The inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic gave us a doubleheader featuring No. 1 UCLA versus No. 25 Baylor followed by No. 7 Texas playing No. 8 Maryland at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. UCLA opened up the event by beating Baylor 72-57, and Texas then dominated Maryland 89-51.
This win extended UCLA’s undefeated streak to 18 games—and Lauren Betts is a big reason why. The UCLA center had 24 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks in the victory. Kiki Rice also had a productive game with 15 points, while Janiah Barker scored 10 points from off the bench. Baylor struggled to put points on the board, as Yaya Felder was the team’s leading scorer, with 10 points coming from the reserve.
Texas had a smooth game, and that’s largely thanks to Madison Booker. She had 28 points on 13-for-19 shooting. Kyla Oldacre had 15 points off the bench for the Longhorns, and Taylor Jones and Shay Holle both were double-digit scorers. Not much positively happened for Maryland on Monday. Kaylene Smikle had 15 points, with 11 of them coming from the free throw line.
Still No. 1
UCLA came out blazing from the jump. Midway through the opening quarter, the Bruins were up 17-4. Rice and Gabriela Jaquez were perfect from the field, going a combined 5-for-5 for 13 points. Baylor was unable to close that gap significantly and trailed 19-9 after one quarter of play.
Baylor finally cut into UCLA’s margin in the second quarter. Kayla Nelms provided scoring from off the bench as Sarah Andrews led the charge offensively. After an Andrews 3-pointer, Baylor got to within five. But, UCLA responded with back-to-back buckets from Timea Gardiner and Barker, extending the lead back to nine. At the halftime break, UCLA was up 37-29.
While UCLA was playing well, they struggled with turnovers all afternoon. During a stretch in the third quarter, they had three-consecutive turnovers, and the Bears took advantage. After a Bella Fontleroy steal, which led to a Jada Walker jumper, Baylor trailed by just five points. Betts responded with an assist to Londynn Jones, followed by a basket of her own, and the lead was back to double digits heading into the final frame.
Baylor needed a rally to close the gap and get back into the game. Unfortunately, they suffered a huge blow when Aaronette Vonleh was called for a fifth and final foul with 7:17 left to play. With the Baylor big gone, Betts immediately attacked the paint and scored her 20th point on the next Bruin possession. Baylor was unable to make a significant run, and UCLA cruised to victory the rest of the way.
Texas dominates Maryland
Despite both teams standing next to each other in the standings, the Longhorns proved to be much better than the Terrapins in this one. Texas jumped out to a 19-5 run in the first half and never looked back. They never trailed and led by 30 at the half. Booker had a monster first two quarters, scoring 20 points, and combined with Maryland’s 15 turnovers, this matchup was over the moment it began.
Bigger than this game is the health of Shyanne Sellers. The Maryland guard suffered an injury during the first half, exited the game and never returned to the court.
To start the third quarter, Booker picked up where she left off, scoring four-straight buckets. Maryland couldn’t gain any kind of ground, and Texas stayed sharp, extending their lead to 63-28 with 4:33 left in the third.
With Texas leading 73-39 to start the fourth quarter, the final 10 minutes were only played because they had to be; this game was over. The period was essentially garbage time, but even within that context, Texas outscored Maryland 16-12 in the fourth. This was near-perfect win for the Longhorns and an example of what their ceiling as a team can be.
Key takeaways
UCLA leaned on Betts for control of the paint and the boards, and that worked out well for them, as it has done all season. They were in complete control of this matchup versus Baylor and withstood every run the Bears went on.
For Texas, this was their most impressive win of the season. They did everything well and stayed focus to start the second half to ensure the win would be an easy one. Booker is an impressive forward, and this performance will certainly turn some heads and increase their notoriety nationally.
