INDIANAPOLIS ― The UCLA women’s basketball team has been a part of the Big Ten Conference for two seasons. Sunday, it won its second conference tournament title.
UCLA blew out Iowa, 96-45, in the championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Bruins put the game out of reach in the first quarter with defense. Iowa scored first with a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow 46 seconds in. The Bruins allowed only two more points the rest of the quarter, going on a 22-2 run. Iowa shot 25% from the floor and had seven turnovers in the opening period, four of which came in the first three minutes.
Guard Kiki Rice, who was named Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player, took advantage of the Hawkeyes’ inability to protect the ball and scored seven of the Bruins’ first 11 points.
“We got on our heels early. If you let that margin get a little too great, you can never really ever shrink it,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said. “Major credit to UCLA. They have been extremely impressive, and they were great today. I also think you saw a lot of senior leadership on their end as a team that’s been on a mission since the Final Four last year.”
The Bruins defense and size created a lot of opportunities. UCLA had 26 points off turnovers, 15 steals and held Iowa to 28% shooting from the field. No player on the Bruins roster is shorter than 5-10. UCLA had five blocks and scored 44 points in the paint to Iowa’s 16.
“Every single night we take pride in our defense and that’s what really ignited us today,” Rice said. “That’s the foundation, that’s the backbone of our team, and we take pride in the way we defend.”
Rice finished with 15 points and fellow guards Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker had 12 and 11, respectively. All-American center Lauren Betts had 10 points. Freshman forward Sienna Betts contributed 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from off the bench. Ava Heiden led the Hawkeyes with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Freshman guard Addie Deal added 11 points off the bench.
The Bruins (31-1) are a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament and will host the first to rounds of the tournament. Selection Sunday is March 15.
Third quarter: UCLA 67, Iowa 36
Chit-Chat Wright provides spark for Iowa in third quarter. The point guard Chit-Chat Wright scored seven points and had one assist in the third quarter. Ava Heiden has 13 points to lead the Hawkeyes.
Iowa is getting outscored 30-12 in the paint and has 16 turnovers that have led to 20 UCLA points.
Iowa is down, but Hawkeyes fans still cheering
“Let’s go Hawks” chants broke out in Gainbridge Fieldhouse during an official’s timeout with 4:49 left in the third quarter. Iowa is down, 59-30, but the Hawkeyes faithful are still waving their towels and showing their support.
UCLA keeps the hot hand
The Bruins haven’t slowed down in the third, building a 55-23 with 7:51 remaining in the period after starting the quarter on a 13-3 run. Gianna Kneepkens scored five of those points. The senior guard has 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
Halftime: UCLA 42, Iowa 20
Iowa found a rhythm in the second quarter, scoring 15 points. But UCLA’s size and ball movement still proved too much to manage. The Bruins have 14 assists and four blocks entering halftime. Iowa is shooting 25% from the field.Kiki Rice leads all scorers with nine points.
Turnover woes continue for Iowa
The Bruins forced three turnovers in the first 2:28 of the second quarter. That’s 10 on the afternoon for Iowa. UCLA has built its lead to 19 points in the Big Ten championship.
First quarter: UCLA 22, Iowa 5
Iowa struck first and opened the game with a 3-pointer 46 seconds into the game. It only scored two more points for the remainder of the quarter.UCLA forced seven turnovers and shot 63% from the field in the first quarter. Sienna Betts has eight points off then bench on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor.
Kiki Rice off to a hot start
Kiki Rice has seven of the Bruins’ 11 points. The senior guard is 3-for-3 from the field and UCLA is out to an 11-3 lead.
Iowa lousy with the ball to start
The Hawkeyes had four turnovers in the first three minutes of the opening quarter against the Bruins. UCLA hold a 9-3 lead with five minutes left in the first quarter.
What time is Iowa vs. UCLA?
Date: Sunday, March 8
Time: 2:15 p.m. ET
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
The UCLA Bruins play the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten final at 2:15 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Iowa vs. UCLA: TV, streaming
TV: CBS/Parmount+
Stream: Sling TV
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 1 UCLA, 2:15 p.m. | CBS
Iowa starting lineup
Head coach: Jan Jensen
11 Chit-Chat Wright | G 5-4 Sophomore
1 Taylor Stremlow | G 5-10 Sophomore
4 Kylie Feuerbach | G 6-0 Graduate student
45 Hannah Stuelke | F 6-2 Senior
5 Ava Heiden | C 6-4 Sophomore
UCLA starting lineup
Head coach: Cori Close
1 Kiki Rice | G 5-11 Senior
5 Charlisse Leger-Walker | G 5-10 Graduate
8 Gianna Kneepkens | G 6-0 Graduate
11 Gabriela Jaquez | G 6-0 Senior
51 Lauren Betts | C 6-7 Senior
