LOS ANGELES (AP) — No. 12 UCLA is in a tight race in the Pac-12 with two weekends remaining in the regular season. The Bruins are keeping their focus by tuning out.
No sneaking a peek at the standings. No scrolling through social media.
“It’s most important for our team to just not seek validation from other people,” center Lauren Betts said. “I just think having confidence within ourselves and just making sure we keep pushing each other every single day in practice, that’s going to be the most important thing for us.
“If we play the way we did today, no one’s going to be able to stop us,” she said.
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Londynn Jones had career highs of 23 points and seven 3-pointers, and UCLA led all the way in beating No. 18 Utah 82-52 on Thursday night to avenge an overtime loss a month ago.
Betts added 14 points and six rebounds and Charisma Osborne had 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Bruins (21-5, 10-5 Pac-12). They snapped a three-game skid against the Utes after losing 94-81 in Salt Lake City.
Osborne became the second Pac-12 guard with 2,000 points and 800 rebounds, joining former Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu.
Alissa Pili had 20 points — making all 10 of her free throws — and 11 rebounds for the Utes (19-8, 9-6). She scored their first eight points of the fourth, but the Bruins were soon ahead by 33 points.
“She’s super tough. A lot of respect for her,” said Betts, who at 6-foot-7 had a 5-inch advantage over Pili. “I think just staying in front and not letting her get easy touches inside, especially in the paint because when she does it’s pretty much over.”
The Bruins dominated the third quarter, allowing just nine points while outscoring the Utes 20-2 in one stretch. Pili had just four in the period when the Bruins led 59-34 going into the fourth.
“This really means a lot because to play the kind of defense we played against one of the best offensive teams in the country I just think earns us a lot of confidence,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “This was our best defensive execution of a game plan all year long.”
Jones hit three 3-pointers during the Bruins’ run. Betts launched the spurt by grabbing Kiki Rice’s missed 3-point attempt and scoring. A couple plays later, Betts snagged a defensive rebound and passed to Rice, who fed Angela Dugalic for a basket. Rice finished with 13 points and six assists.
Jones made two more 3s in the fourth.
UCLA set the tone from the opening tip, racing to a 12-0 lead. The Bruins used a 5-0 run to push their lead to 15 points later in the first quarter.
Utah closed within eight in the second quarter before UCLA scored the final six points to lead 39-25 at the break.
Utah’s Jenna Johnson caught an elbow in the head from Christeen Iwuala in the first quarter. She was bloodied and left the court to get stitches. She returned after halftime but didn’t score.
BIG PICTURE
Utah: The Utes came in off a one-point upset of then-No. 8 Colorado, but could never get untracked against the Bruins’ defense. They committed 20 turnovers that led to 26 points by the Bruins.
UCLA: The Bruins have won four of five but have to regroup quickly since they’ll be facing their second straight ranked opponent on Monday. After that, they close out the regular season with a trip to the Arizona schools.
UP NEXT
Utah: Visits No. 7 USC on Sunday.
UCLA: Hosts No. 11 Colorado on Monday in the second of three straight home games.
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