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Betts powers No. 2 UCLA past Washington 82-67 to clinch a share of the Big Ten title

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lauren Betts had 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting and eight rebounds, and No. 2 UCLA defeated Washington 82-67 on Thursday night to clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with its 20th consecutive victory.

The Bruins (24-1, 14-0) can win the title outright with a victory over visiting Wisconsin on Sunday. If they do, it would keep the title in Los Angeles for a second straight year. USC claimed it last season, the first playing in the Big Ten for both the Bruins and the Trojans.

Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice had 13 points and Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic had 10 points each for the Bruins. They led 22-12 in the first quarter. Betts scored the Bruins’ first six points of the second as part of a 14-5 run that produced a 19-point lead.

From there, the Huskies closed with a 12-6 spurt to trail 42-29 at halftime, having been outscored by just three points in the second quarter. They were outscored by two points in the third quarter — when Betts had six of UCLA’s first eight points — and trailed 63-48 going into the fourth.

Freshman Brynn McGaughy came off the bench and scored 19 points — over double her average — to lead the Huskies (19-8, 9-7). Former USC player Avery Howell had 17 points. Sayvia Sellers, averaging a team-high 19.3 points, was held to 14 and seven assists playing with four fouls.

Up next

Washington: Hosts Nebraska on Sunday.

UCLA: Hosts Wisconsin on Sunday in the Bruins’ final regular-season home game.

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Hawkeyes are set to play Vanderbilt in a November women’s basketball game in Sioux City, Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday. The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997. The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
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