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UCLA’s Lauren Betts shares heartfelt reaction to career-high game vs. Oklahoma State
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- UCLA’s Lauren Betts shares heartfelt reaction to career-high game vs. Oklahoma State
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UCLA's Lauren Betts shares heartfelt reaction to career-high game vs. Oklahoma State appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Top-seeded UCLA women's basketball advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth year in a row with an 87-68 win over Oklahoma State on Monday, led by a career performance from Lauren Betts in her final home game.
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Betts scored a career-high 35 points on 15-of-19 shooting while adding nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block, anchoring the Bruins (33-1) from start to finish at Pauley Pavilion.
"This community, the minute that I transferred over here, I was just welcomed with open arms," Betts said, as reported by Jack Haslett of The Sporting Tribune. "The fans have been so supportive of me through my entire journey. Through my mental challenges. Through basketball and everything … Just to see all the people waiving at us at the end of the game was really special."
The game was the final home game for Betts and five other seniors, with the Bruins controlling much of it. UCLA built a 20-point halftime lead and maintained separation despite Oklahoma State's push in the third quarter.
Betts' 35th point came on a late layup with 1:02 remaining, after which she exited to a standing ovation.
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"That's really cool. I mean, I can't deny it. That is really cool," Betts said. "I feel like the points, they really don't mean anything to me. I just really want to win games with this team."
Freshman forward Sienna Betts (Lauren Betts' sister) also reflected on the moment, highlighting the weight of the game for the team's seniors, including her sister.
"I'm just really, really happy that she got to go out with a bang in her last home game here," she said. "And I'm happy for all the seniors. They've all had killer seasons."
UCLA led throughout, opening the game on a 9-0 run and extending its advantage to as many as 25 points in the first half. Oklahoma State mounted a brief surge in the third quarter, but the Bruins responded behind Betts, who scored 10 of the team's final 12 points in the period.
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"They (UCLA) have a team that I believe is capable of winning it all," Cowgirls coach Jacie Hoyt said, per Beth Harris of the Associated Press.
The Bruins will face fourth-seeded Minnesota in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Sacramento.
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