Lauren Betts was UCLA’s ignition to its title run

Los Angeles, CA (News4usonline) – Lauren Betts has had a season to dream for. She was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. In November, Betts was selected for a spot on the USA Women’s Basketball National Team. 

She guided the Bruins to a Big Ten Conference title. She followed that achievement with helping UCLA capture the Big Ten Conference Tournament title. Now, you can call her NCAA champion. 

“What an amazing way to finish off the season with a national championship, knowing that we did everything to get there basketball-wise, and we also just enjoyed each other,” Betts said. “We’re such a close group of girls, I’m going to miss them so much.”

Betts scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead UCLA to a 79-51 win against South Carolina in the title game. It is the first national championship for the UCLA women’s basketball program.  

It was not her best overall performance in the postseason, but who cares. 

“The confidence we came out with, we just knew we were going to win because of all the prep and work that we put in,” Betts stated. “I think when we find a way to play together and play selflessly, do what we do, no one can stop us. You guys saw that.”

For the past three seasons, UCLA fans have seen a lot from Betts, who transferred to Westwood after spending a year playing for Stanford. Since coming to play for the Bruins, Betts has been the dominant piece that had been missing from head coach Cori Close’s offense. 

At 6-foot-8, Betts can do whatever she wants down in the painted area. Last season, her junior year, Betts was even more dominant than this past regular season. Last year, Betts averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game. 

This season, the number came down a little bit. 

For the season, Betts put up 17 points and eight rebounds for the Bruins. Numbers, however, don’t really do Betts’ impact on a basketball game justice. With her height and overall length, Betts is a nightmare defensively. 

Due to the fact that she is long and athletic, opponents, like South Carolina in the national championship game and Texas in the Final Four contest, Betts can make life in the paint miserable for opponents. 

But it was her one-woman wrecking ball show against Oklahoma State in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament that really showcased her overall skills. 

Betts was on fire on both sides of the ball. She made 15 of 19 shots from the field to score a game-high 35 points in the Bruins’ 87-68 win at Pauley Pavilion. She also kicked in nine rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes of playing time. 

“I think I was just making reads and see how they were playing me tonight,” Betts said as she discussed what got her going early offensively in that particular game. 

“My teammates did a really good job of finding me, whether it was lobs or just coming off of those screens. So, I have to give a lot of credit to the guards for finding me tonight. Yeah, that’s what we worked on all season,” she said. 

Against Oklahoma State, it was not just Betts’ repertoire of offensive skills on display. Her defense was just as ferocious. It may not show up in the stat sheet, but Betts helped set the tone for the Bruins on the defensive as well.

Showing off her versatility as a defender, Betts came out on the perimeter to play help defense in locking down smaller and quicker guards. As a result of UCLA’s smothering defense with Betts being the anchor of it, Oklahoma State managed just six points in that opening period.

UCLA outscored the Cowgirls 21-6 in the first quarter and never looked back. 

“We wanted to learn from our first game and how we started, so we came out with a different, aggressive mentality,” Betts said. “We just wanted to take things away. I thought we did a good job of that for the most part.”  

When you see Betts on the court with her teammates, there seems to be a bond that appears to be unshakable and one that has been built on trust, work and commitment. The Bruins’ celebration after defeating South Carolina in the title game, reflected the team’s chemistry. 

It’s not a knock-off. It’s something that’s genuine, Betts said. 

“It’s amazing,” Betts remarked. “All the chemistry, and all the love and bond that we have for each other just shows on the court. And we truly love playing with each other. It’s been really, really fun.” 

Outside of the coaching staff that she has performed under and toiling alongside her teammates, which she has effusive praise for, Betts hasn’t forgotten all the UCLA fans who have been part of the Bruins’ journey as well to the national championship. 

“I’m just very thankful,” Betts remarked. “This program has done so much for me. I can’t thank them enough for how they changed my life. I love all the fans, how they’ve embraced me, transferring in, and all of the challenges that I’ve had here. They’ve just loved on me ever since I’ve gotten here. So, it’s really been cool.”