Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez lead No. 4 UCLA past Nebraska 85-74 as Bruins reach Big Ten semis
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5:41 PM on Friday, March 7
By MICHAEL MAROT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Lauren Betts finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks and Gabriela Jaquez added a season-high 23 points and nine rebounds as No. 4 UCLA reached the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night with an 85-74 victory over Nebraska.
Kiki Rice had 14 points and nine assists to help the Bruins (28-2) rebound from last weekend's loss to crosstown rival Southern California. UCLA will face No. 13 Ohio State, a 60-59 winner over three-time defending tourney champ Iowa, the No. 11 seed.
Nebraska (21-11) played its third game in three days after earning the No. 10 seed. Britt Prince led the Cornhuskers with 24 points and Alex Markowski scored 11.
The Bruins struggled to pull away until breaking a 47-47 tie early in the third quarter with a 13-2 run. They finally sealed it with seven straight points to make it 71-60 with 5:36 to play.
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers certainly didn't show much weariness, repeatedly charging back every time it appeared UCLA was about to take control. It should help them into the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA: It wasn't the Bruins most complete effort of the season, but Betts played like a dominant All-American, Jaquez had her top offensive game this season and Rice was a solid third option. If those three play well again Saturday, they may get a rematch with USC.
When Nebraska cut the deficit to 62-58 early in the fourth, Betts and Jaquez and Rice combined for all of the points in a 9-2 spurt.
The Bruins held a 16-8 offensive rebounding edge and outscored Nebraska 17-6 in second-chance points.
UCLA will go for a two-game sweep of the Buckeyes (25-5) in the second semifinal game while the Cornhuskers await their postseason fate.
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