The Betts sisters have proven to be one of the best frontcourt duos in college women’s basketball today, as Lauren and Sienna Betts led UCLA to a Big Ten Championship win over the Iowa Hawkeyes during the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday. The center and power forward duo held the paint and dominated during the game, with Lauren cementing her argument for that No. 1 draft pick spot for the WNBA.
After that win, Lauren and Sienna Betts celebrated their “iconic” win on center court as they danced together with Bruins teammate Alex Zachem.
It was a dominant win for the Bruins, demolishing Iowa 96-45, with their lead being more than double what the Hawkeyes had scored. This is already their second straight Big Ten championship win, with the Most Outstanding Player award going to senior Kiki Rice, who had 15 points, eight assists and three steals.
Lauren Betts had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block, while her younger sister, Sienna Betts, had a season-high 14-points, seven rebounds, five assists and one block. Gianna Kneepkens led all scorers with 19 points, one rebound, three assists and one block as UCLA moves on to get an assured No. 1 seed coming into the NCAA National Championship Tournament, also known as March Madness.
The Bruins led throughout the game, jumping to a commanding 22-5 lead before Iowa narrowed it down in the second. However, UCLA began pulling away and shut down the Hawkeyes, as the Bruins defense only allowed their opponents to score nine points in the fourth quarter.
UCLA Bruins Head Coach Cori Close All Praises For Freshman Sienna Betts
Sienna Betts may not be as tall and imposing as her elder sister, Lauren, but she has proven that she can handle herself once her sister leaves for the WNBA. As a No. 2-ranked five-star recruit and the sister of UCLA’s biggest star, Sienna had a lot of pressure thrust onto her, but Bruins head coach believes that she delivered during that win over Iowa:
“Sienna Betts was probably one of my highlights today, in terms of seeing her joy because I know the battle that she’s been in,” the coach told reporters. . “It’s been hard for her – she has very big expectations for herself.”
It had been a defensive clinic for UCLA as the team had 15 steals overall and forced 19 turnovers. While Lauren had been quiet on the rebounding front, her sister stepped up and had the highest number of rebounds in the game with seven.
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