– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — While all the world is a stage (Thank you, Shakespeare), Lauren Betts made certain that on the big stage she performed on Monday that she was more than a mere player.
Betts put on a national player of the year-like performance, going for 24 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks as the top-ranked UCLA Bruins cruised to a 72-57 victory over No. 25 Baylor inside the Prudential Center in the first game of the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday. Kiki Rice scored 15 points for UCLA while Gabriela Jaquez produced a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bruins remain just one of two undefeated teams in Division I, along with LSU, and continue their streak of winning every game this season by double digits, including their 72-57 win in Westwood against defending national champion South Carolina that vaulted UCLA into the top of the national rankings.
Betts’ nine blocks set a new school record, surpassing the mark of seven that that she previously shared with Corinne Costa. Betts has seven blocks in her most recent game against Penn State last week, while Costa did it four times from 2011-14.
UCLA came out firing against the Bears, scoring 17 of the game’s first 19 points while never trailing in the contest. Baylor was able to chip away at the lead and had their deficit down to 41-36 lead midway through the third quarter, but UCLA scored six straight to restore a double-digit advantage. Baylor didn’t get within single digits the rest of the way.
The fourth quarter was when Betts really put the gas pedal down, possibly knowing that a triple-double was within reach. She made all four of her field goal attempts in the frame while also recording three blocks.
Yaya Felder scored 10 points to lead Baylor, who saw its five-game winning streak snapped.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Monday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 24 pictures in total.
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