INDIANAPOLIS -- UCLA (16-2, 29-2) dominated Ohio State (13-5, 25-6) 75-46 in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament Saturday, March 8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Bruins made their presence known immediately, jumping ahead to an 11 point lead with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. UCLA stretched that lead out even further with a 6-1 run to finish the first quarter leading 22-8.
Nearly the whole squad got involved for the Bruins in the win. Nine of the 11 Bruins on the roster scored points in the game, led by junior guard and snIper from three Londynn Jones, who scored 22 after shooting 8-16 from the field, including six triples.
Four Bruins, Jones included, scored double-digit points in the game.
UCLA kept dominating in the second. A 6-0 run, aided by back-to-back field goals by UCLA junior center Lauren Betts, put the Bruins ahead 31-12 with six-and-a-half minutes left in the first half. They kept their momentum flowing with a 9-0 run to end the second quarter and go into halftime more than doubling the Buckeyes’ score, leading 44-21.
The third quarter would somehow become the Bruins’ most dominant yet after a first-half slaughter of the Buckeyes. UCLA outscored Ohio State 23-9 in the third quarter and built up to lead the Buckeyes by nearly 40, up 67-30 going into the last quarter of the game.
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UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) and the bench celebrate Saturday, March 8, 2025, in a semifinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Jones took off in the second half, knocking down five of her six threes in the final two quarters.
The Bruins led by as much as 39 early in the fourth quarter. The mountainous lead was more than enough insurance for the Bruins even as they entered a scoring drought over the last three-and-a-half minutes of the game.
The Buckeyes went on a 10-0 run to finish the game and cut the UCLA lead down to just a 29-point win for the Bruins, who took home the win 75-46.
The Bruins led across the box score. Not only did they out-rebound the Buckeyes 43-25, they more than doubled their assist total, out-assisting the Buckeyes 25-9.
With the win, UCLA advances to the Big Ten Conference Championship game, where they face off against rival USC, hungry for revenge after USC handed the Bruins their only two losses of the regular season.
The third battle of LA goes down Sunday, March 9 at 1:30 pm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.