Lauren Betts had a stellar performance in the UCLA Bruins’ quarterfinal matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday. This drew praise from her head coach Cori Close.
In 37 minutes of action, Betts was active on both sides of the ball. She finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks, five assists, and three steals. She shot 11-of-15 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. This proved to be crucial as she led the Bruins to the 85-74 win.
Close reflected on the Bruins’ victory after the game. When the reporter asked her about Betts’ performance, she summed up her star’s display with one clear sentence.
“What you saw tonight is a by-product of all that work done in the dark,” Close said.
“What you saw tonight is a by-product of all that work done in the dark.”
Cori Close on the electric performance of Lauren Betts in @UCLAWBB‘s win against Nebraska
#B1GWBBT pic.twitter.com/arCZapny4O
— Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 8, 2025
What’s next for Lauren Betts, UCLA after beating Nebraska
Certainly a strong endorsement for Cori Close to have for her star player. Lauren Betts also gave her thoughts on her own performance as well as UCLA’s showing against Nebraska. She revealed they went over the film from the last game against USC as preparation for Friday’s matchup, per CBS Sports reporter Isabel Gonzalez.
“It’s ‘we’ over ‘me’ at this point… You gotta put your pride aside and just do what the team needs you to do. I thought everyone stepped up today,” Betts said.
UCLA improved to 28-2 on the season, returning to the win column. They average 79 points on 47.9% shooting from the field and 31.7% from downtown. As a result, they blow out opponents by a margin of 21.2 points per game.
After Friday’s win over Nebraska, the Bruins will prepare for their next matchup in the semifinals. They face the Ohio State Buckeyes on March 8 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
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