Lauren Betts wanted USC in Big Ten tournament final, and then backed up the talk with action

After two defeats to the Trojans in the regular season, the Bruins’ big led UCLA when it mattered most

After losing twice to the USC Trojans in the regular season, the UCLA Bruins cut a two-day break following the regular season down to one. Head coach Cori Close gave her side a single day to wallow and then get back to watching tape and practicing for the Big Ten tournament.

The two losses dropped UCLA from being the top-ranked team in the nation and ended a potential perfect season. UCLA entered the postseason with a 28-2 record but the program was not hoping for an upset for the Trojans. The Bruins wanted another chance.

“If you’re a competitor, yes, bring it on,” Close said. “If we don’t, there’s something bigger wrong. If anyone in our locker room would answer differently, don’t come back.”

Betts was one of those players who wanted another chance. Despite having two double-doubles in the crosstown rivalry during the regular season, the second loss to USC cut especially deep considering it was at home and for the sole ownership of the Big Ten regular season title.

At Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament final in Indianapolis, Indiana, it looked like USC continued to have the Bruins’ number with a 45-35 halftime lead. USC guard JuJu Watkins, who won Big Ten Player of the Year over Betts, had 18 points and five rebounds in the first half while Betts scored four points on 2-of-5 shooting, with two rebounds.

Fortunately for UCLA, there are two halves in a basketball game.

In the third quarter, USC extended the lead up to 13 points in the first minute. Soon after, Betts went up for a layup and the USC defense, trying to stop the big, hit the 6-foot-7 center’s thumb, requiring a quick trip to the sideline to get it taped. When Betts came back, the center was a different player.

Betts had nine points in the quarter on 3-of-3 shooting, plus two steals. The junior scored as many points as the Trojans in the third quarter and the Bruins entered the fourth quarter down two points.

The deficit didn’t last long for the Bruins because Betts hit the first basket of the final quarter to tie the game. The layup looked like a broken play, with the USC defense covering their perimeter players well. Betts had the ball and stood near the top of the key, waiting for someone to get open as the shot clock got close to expiring. The center saw this and didn’t panic, instead Betts became a point guard and ran to the basket to hit a layup.

That shot continued an 11-point run that stretched from the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth.

Defensively, Betts and the Bruins made any sort of comeback for the Trojans impossible with 13 missed shots to start the quarter. It wasn’t until 1:13 remaining in the game that USC hit a shot in the run of play after scoring four prior points in the period from the free throw line.

Part of that defense was Betts who had three blocks in the quarter, including a block on Watkins that looked more like the center grabbing the ball out of the superstar’s hands from behind as she attempted a shot near the basket.

There were also things that Betts did that did not jump off the screen, as Betts put herself into positions to slow down the USC offense with surprising moves.

“I think it was just making myself a little bit uncomfortable. Obviously playing on the perimeter is something that a lot of 6’7” posts don’t like to do, but I think that’s what the team needed from me in that moment,” said Betts. “When JuJu was coming off the screens, just pushing myself to get up higher and get her in an uncomfortable situation.”

Betts capped off a second half where she had 13 points, 3 blocks and 2 steals, giving UCLA a 72-67 win and only their second conference tournament trophy in program history. In the fourth quarter, Betts also reached the 1,000-point mark for her NCAA career, but that was not in the mind of the center, it was soon going to be about celebrating with her teammates.

“I don’t think you guys understand, I’m so freaking proud of this team,” said Betts on the court celebrating with her teammates. “We earned that game. We earned it. We worked our butts off. We stayed together. We learned. We could have given up after we lost to them back-to-back in the regular season and we just weren’t done. That wasn’t enough. We would not be denied this game.”

In the second half, as the Trojans’ lead was shrinking and the Bruins were surging ahead, Betts went from a usually subdued athlete to a force of emotion. Betts’ blocks were stronger and her drives to the basket were faster.

That standout performance culminated in a Player of the Tournament honor which is the second individual award earned by the junior this season after winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Even so, Betts stressed how the individual accolades were not important.

“It’s great but what means most to me is the confidence this team has winning this game going into March Madness is a lot,” said Betts.

What matters most for Betts is how the team came together and sets the team up for the NCAA tournament, which begins on Sunday with the selection show that announces the entire 68-team field.

Now, UCLA may hear their name called as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. UCLA was at the top of the NCAA tournamanet committee’s top-16 on Feb. 27. Since then, the Bruins lost to the Trojans on the last day of the season but with Sunday’s UCLA win, and a loss for AP No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in the SEC Tournament, Betts and the Bruins might have locked up the top spot in March Madness.

Betts and the Bruins showed that they have a strong case to earn the No. 1 overall seed, despite two losses to USC in the regular season. Coach Close’s side put in the work and the benefits speak for themselves.

“I think that just the work that was done in the dark just showed today. Like I said, these are amazing teams, but I think we were just the better team today, and there was a lot of work that went into it.”