UCLA women shake off Washington to advance to Big Ten Tournament semifinal

With an earlier-than-normal noon tipoff in its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game, the No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team got a second wakeup call Friday.

The top-seeded Bruins overcame a sluggish start in their tournament opener to pull away from a pesky Washington squad for a 78-60 victory in Indianapolis and advance to Saturday’s semifinal.

UCLA came into the game riding a 22-game winning streak and looking to defend its conference tournament title, won last year against crosstown rival USC.

Lauren Betts, the Bruins’ 6-foot-7 Big Ten Player of the Year, was typically dominant inside and led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds. Point guard Kiki Rice added 18 points and made UCLA’s only 3-pointer as the Bruins shot 10% (1 for 10) from behind the arc.

The Bruins, who shot 54% (34 of 63) from the field and held a 36-25 edge in rebounding, await the winner of Friday afternoon’s game between fourth-seeded Minnesota and fifth-seeded Ohio State.

The Bruins found themselves in a 15-6 hole after one quarter, struggling against Washington’s pick-and-roll, and down by as much as 12 in the second quarter. They went on a 9-0 run to claw back within 22-21 before becoming more active on defense for a three-point halftime advantage.

Elle Ladine’s layup early in the fourth quarter cut UCLA’s lead to 58-50 before the Bruins went on an 8-0 run thanks to a Betts layup, an 18-foot jumper from Rice, a midrange shot by Betts and layup from Charlisse Leger-Walker.

Sophomore forward Avery Howell, who transferred from USC after last season, led the Huskies with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Washington advanced out of the second round with a convincing 76-64 victory over USC in which it pestered the Trojans into shooting 31% (18 for 58) from the field and 27% (8 for 30) from 3-point range.