LOS ANGELES — UCLA led all the way, repelling Oklahoma State’s lone run in the third quarter, and the top-seeded Bruins won 87-68 on Monday night to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year.
Lauren Betts had a career-high 35 points on 15-of-19 shooting and nine rebounds for the Bruins (33-1), who led by 25 points in the first half at Pauley Pavilion, where Dwyane Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, watched with their 7-year-old daughter.
Betts received a standing ovation when she left with a minute to go in the final home game of her career.
Seeking a return trip to the Final Four, the Bruins advanced to play fourth-seeded Minnesota (24-10) in a matchup of Big Ten opponents Friday in Sacramento.
UCLA’s 53-point victory over Cal Baptist in the opening round was the most lopsided postseason win in program history. The Bruins repeatedly blew out opponents in the regular season, too.
Achol Akot scored 23 points for the Cowgirls before fouling out with 24 seconds remaining. Jadyn Wooten added 18 points and six assists.
The Cowgirls made their only sustained run early in the third after trailing by 20 at halftime. Wooten scored six points in a 9-0 spurt that cut their deficit to 52-39.
But Betts shut them down. She scored 10 of UCLA’s final 12 points of the period, and the Bruins went into the fourth ahead 64-47. Betts had another 10 points in the fourth, when UCLA fans were on their feet for the final seconds.
Gianna Kneepkens added 15 points, and Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez had 10 apiece for the Bruins.
The Bruins stunned the Cowgirls to start the game, scoring the first nine points and racing to a 21-6 lead after the first quarter, when the Cowgirls had six turnovers and missed 14 of 16 shots.
UCLA opened the second on an 18-8 run, including nine in a row. When the Bruins missed short shots in the paint, Betts grabbed offensive rebounds and scored. The Cowgirls made 9 of 16 shots and trailed 46-26 at the break.
