Lauren Betts eclipses 1,500 career points and No. 4 UCLA cruises past Penn State 97-61

The Bruins, who entered averaging just over 95 points per game since their lone loss to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Nov. 27, found their offense immediately inside a quiet Rec Hall.

Lauren Betts finished 11 for 19 from the floor. She sunk a layup in the opening seconds to spark the first of a handful of lopsided runs for the Bruins.

Kneepkens and Rice added back-to-back 3-pointers moments later before Kneepkens hit another long ball to put UCLA up 13-2 less than three minutes in.

Penn State (7-7, 0-3) responded with a pair of buckets, but Kneepkens drained her third 3-pointer of the quarter and UCLA closed out the first on a 14-5 run shooting 58% from the floor.

The rout was on from there for the Bruins, who led by as many as 37 with 6:41 in the fourth quarter. They led 46-23 at halftime.

Gracie Merkle had 15 points and Kiyomi McMiller scored 13 for Penn State, which fell to 1-15 against AP Top 10 teams since coach Carolyn Kieger’s first season in 2019.

NO. 1 UCONN 90, PROVIDENCE 53

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Azzi Fudd had 18 points, Sarah Strong scored 17 and UConn extended its winning streak to 30 games with a victory over Providence.

UConn (14-0, 5-0 Big East) hasn’t dropped a game since an 80-76 loss to Tennessee on Feb. 6, 2024. The Huskies have won 52 straight against Big East opponents.

Blanca Quinonez scored seven straight points to highlight Connecticut’s 21-0 run that made it 30-7 at the end of the first quarter. She finished with 11 points.

The Friars (8-7, 1-3) made two of their first three shots before missing 11 of their next 12 to end the first quarter.

Providence managed the same number of made field goals (three) in the second quarter as it did in the first and ended up shooting 26% for the opening half.

Fudd and Strong watched the final quarter from the bench. Finishing with 24 assists as a team, the Huskies have now dished out 20-plus assists in 13 straight games.

Sabou Gueye led the Friars with 12 points.

Providence committed 30 turnovers, but also turned UConn over 21 times.

NO. 10 IOWA STATE 80, HOUSTON 62

HOUSTON (AP) — Audi Crooks had 35 points and 13 rebounds, Jada Williams added 16 points and a career-high 14 assists and Iowa State beat Houston.

Williams and Crooks combined for 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting in the first half as the Cyclones (14-0, 2-0 Big 12) built a 45-31 halftime lead. Iowa State shot 60% in the first half.

Crooks finished 17 of 21 from the field. She scored at least 30 for the fifth straight game, and double-figures for the 80th straight game, the longest active streak in the nation.

Iowa State shot 53% overall and 8 of 16 on 3-pointers. The Cyclones owned a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint.

Briana Peguero scored 14 and Jade Jones added 11 points off the bench for Houston (6-7, 0-2). The Cougars shot 38%.

Houston opened up a 14-7 lead on a jumper by Jorynn Ross with three minutes left in the first quarter, but Iowa State answered with a 12-0 run over the first and second quarters to take a 19-14 lead on a layup by Crooks to start the second.

After the Cougars closed within 29-27 with four minutes left in the second, Iowa State closed the half on a 16-4 spurt, capped with a jumper by Williams at the halftime buzzer. The Cyclones made six straight field goals during the run.

Houston got no closer than nine the rest of the way.

NO. 19 OHIO STATE 83, PURDUE 56

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — The Cambridge sisters combined for 30 points — 16 by Kennedy and 14 from Jaloni — and Ohio State routed Purdue.

Jaloni Cambridge also had seven rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three blocks.

Jaloni Cambridge scored 11 points in the first quarter and the Buckeyes raced to a 30-17 lead. The Buckeyes shot 67% in the first quarter and 55% for the half.

The Buckeyes scored 11 of the first 13 points in the second quarter as their lead reached 22 points, which they hit three times before halftime. The halftime score was 47-28.

Kennedy Cambridge scored seven points in the third quarter and her 3-pointer near the seven-minute mark gave the Buckeyes a 28-point lead. The margin reached 34 points — 81-47 — with 3:20 left in the game.

Chance Gray scored 14 points and Ava Watson 13 for Ohio State (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten). Kylee Kitts had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Madison Layden-Zay scored 17 points, Nya Smith 11 and Tara Daye 10 for Purdue (8-6, 0-3).

Ohio State shot 42% for the game and made 16 of 18 free throws. Purdue shot 30% and made 20 of 29 from the free-throw line.

Ohio State has outscored Purdue 181-102 in their last two matchups.

NO. 22 BAYLOR 77, OKLAHOMA STATE 68

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 24 points, Jana Van Gytenbeek added eight of her 17 in the fourth quarter, and Baylor erased a 19-point second-half deficit to beat Oklahoma State.

Scott made 5 of 8 from the field and 13 of 15 from the free-throw line for Baylor (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) and Van Gytenbeek made four 3-pointers and had eight assists. Kayla Nelms added 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Bears scored the final seven points of the third quarter to trim their deficit to 60-48 and then outscored Oklahoma State 29-8 as the Cowgirls made 3 of 15 from the field in the fourth.

Jadyn Wooten scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half for Oklahoma State (12-3, 1-1). Achol Akot had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Micah Gray also scored 14. Stailee Heard and Amari Whiting added 10 points apiece.

Heard scored seven points, Akot added six and Gray hit 3-pointers 29 seconds apart in a 19-4 run to open the second half that made it 54-36 with 3:41 left in the third quarter and Akot hit two free throws about two minutes later that gave the Cowgirls a 19-point lead, their largest lead of the game.

Wooten scored Oklahoma State’s last six points in an 11-1 run that gave the Cowgirls a 35-25 lead with 2:48 left in the first half. Scott answered 14 seconds later with a 3-pointer and her jumper in the lane with 33 seconds left trimmed Baylor’s deficit to 36-32.