“Points in the paint” was the theme tonight for UCLA as they dominated Ole Miss 76-62 in the regional semifinal, sending them to the regional final game against LSU – the team UCLA was eliminated by last year.
Ole Miss would never hold a lead the entire game, despite getting within one shot and having more than double UCLA’s offensive rebounds.
The star of the night was UCLA’s Lauren Betts, a 6’7” center from Colorado. Ole Miss could not find a counter for her height and shot-creating ability underneath the basket. Betts dominated with a double-double, 31 points and 10 rebounds. Betts’ great defense was overshadowed by her amazing offensive performance, only allowing shooters to go 2-16 while she defended them, and earned herself 3 blocks. It was only early in the fourth quarter that Ole Miss finally outscored Betts in the paint.
Betts started the game hot, going 5-5 and scoring 10 points in the first quarter, featuring four rebounds. Keying in on her scoring early, Ole Miss began to double-team Betts for just a few plays before they abandoned the idea entirely for almost the rest of the game. The threat of being doubled all game did not stop Betts however, burying three more shots before the halftime horn sounded.
Ole Miss stayed in a decent spot for most of the first half, down just a few points for the entirety of the time. With the Rebels outrunning the Bruins and picking up 12 offensive rebounds, they were able to continue making just enough plays to keep them within reach of the game.
Finally, after a slow start and a couple of buckets, the Rebels were within three, with a chance to tie heading into the half. That was when Ole Miss guard Kennedy Todd-Williams stole the ball and passed it to guard KK Deans, who cut through the lane and laid up the ball to take the Rebels within one heading into the half.
From there, it was a one-sided game. Ole Miss never gave themselves a chance to truly come back and UCLA’s halftime adjustments were too much for the Rebels to overcome. The Bruins spaced the floor and would go on an 8-0 run to start the half.
Opening up the middle of the floor allowed Betts to continue her dominance, while also inviting high-level play from UCLA guard Kiki Rice, who exploded with 11 points and seven assists after her slow start in the first half.
Ole Miss guards Tameiya Sadler and Kennedy Todd-Williams led their starters in scoring with 14 points and 13 points respectively, with KK Deans coming off the bench with another 13 points. The trio of scorers would all shoot under 50% from the field, a stat the reflects the true struggle of the night for Ole Miss: getting shots to fall.
Ole Miss shot poorly, missing plenty of good looks and lightly contested shots all night. The Rebels would shoot 32.4% percent from the field, 18.2% from the 3-point line and 66% from the charity stripe. This is in stark contrast to the success of the Bruins, who shot 60% from the field, 44.4% from three and 75% from the free throw line.
Still, at the end of the night, players win games, and Lauren Betts was that player for UCLA.
“[We] have a generational player on your team. She’s not only dominant for herself, but she makes everybody on the floor better, and so you just want to put the ball in her hands as many ways and as many times as possible,” UCLA Head Coach Cori Close said in a post-game press conference. “But Lauren is a dominant player on both sides of the ball. That’s why she’s one of the top players in the country, and that’s why she makes us better, and that’s why we’re in the Elite Eight.”
UCLA point guard Kiki Rice also had this to say about Betts in a press conference. “She’s so dominant every day in practice, and I know you guys don’t see it, but it’s just like, every single day she comes with the same consistency,” Rice said. “When we do get in games, it’s like, throw the ball up to Lauren. She will score, get me an assist. But I think just having her on my team, I’m so grateful to have her on my team and not be playing against her.”
Betts’ impact was felt on all sides of the floor. Her ability as a playmaker has made UCLA a team to be feared as the latter stages of the tournament commence. UCLA’s two-way center has made them championship contenders, and with the Elite Eight and Final Four games just around the corner, UCLA may just be getting started.
UCLA and LSU will play the regional final game in Spokane, Washington on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Jack DeWitt can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu