STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Lauren Betts scored 25 points and surpassed 1,500 career points to lead UCLA to a rout of Penn State.
Gianna Knipkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice 16 and Sienna Betts 10 for the Bruins (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who won their seventh straight game after leading for just 31 seconds.
The Bruins, averaging just over 95 points per game since their lone loss to the second-ranked Texas Longhorns on Nov. 27, immediately found their offense in the quiet lounge.
Lauren Betts finished 11 of 19 from the floor. She made a layup in the opening seconds and set up the first of several lopsided attempts for the Bruins.
Knipkens and Rice added back-to-back 3-pointers moments later before Knipkens hit another long ball to put UCLA up 13-2 less than three minutes later.
Penn State (7-7, 0-3) responded with a pair of buckets, but Knipkens drained her third 3-pointer of the quarter and UCLA closed the opener with a 14-5 run, shooting 58% from the floor.
From there, the rout began for the Bruins, who led 37 with 6:41 remaining in the fourth quarter. They led 46-23 at halftime.
Gracie Merkle scored 15 points and Kiyomi McMiller scored 13 points for Penn State, which fell to 1-15 against AP top-10 teams since coach Carolyn Kiger's first season in 2019.
NO. 1 UCONN 90, PROVIDENCE 53
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Azzie Fudd scored 18 points, Sarah Strong had 17 and UConn extended its winning streak to 30 games with a win over Providence.
YUKON (14-0, 5-0 Big East) hasn't lost a game since an 80-76 loss to Tennessee on Feb. 6, 2024. The Huskies have won 52 straight games against Big East opponents.
Blanca Quinones scored seven straight points to highlight Connecticut's 21-0 run that made it 30-7 at the end of the first quarter. She finished with 11 points.
The Friars (8-7, 1-3) made two of their first three shots and then missed 11 of their next 12 to end the first quarter.
Providence managed the same number of field goals (three) in the second quarter as it did in the first and ended up shooting 26% in the first half.
Fudd and Strong watched the final quarter from the bench. After finishing with a team-high 24 assists, the Huskies have now dished out more than 20 assists in 13 straight games.
Sabu Gueye led the Friars with 12 points.
Providence committed 30 turnovers but also turned over UCLA 21 times.
NO. 10 IOWA 80, HOUSTON 62
HOUSTON (AP) — Audie Crooks scored 35 points and 13 rebounds, Jada Williams added 16 points and a career-high 14 assists and Iowa State beat Houston.
Williams and Crooks combined for 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting in the first half as the Cyclones (14-0, 2-0 Big 12) built a 45-31 halftime lead. Iowa State shot 60% in the first half.
Crooks finished 17 of 21 from the field. She scored at least 30 points for the fifth straight game and scored in double figures for the 80th straight game, which is the longest active streak in the country.
Iowa State made 53% of its shots overall and 8 of 16 3-pointers. The Cyclones held a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint.
Briana Peguero scored 14 points and Jade Jones added 11 points off the bench for Houston (6-7, 0-2). The Cougars shot 38%.
Houston opened a 14-7 lead on Jorinn Ross' jumper with three minutes left in the first quarter, but Iowa State responded with a 12-0 run in the first and second quarters to take a 19-14 lead after Crooks' layup to start the second.
After the Cougars pulled the game within 29-27 with four minutes left in the second, Iowa State ended the half with a 16-4 spurt capped by Williams' jumper on the break. During the run, the Cyclones made six straight field goals.
Houston didn't get closer than nine the rest of the way.
NO. 19 OHIO 83, PURDUE 56
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — The Cambridge sisters combined for 30 points — 16 from Kennedy and 14 from Jaloni — and Ohio State routed Purdue.
Jaloni Cambridge also had seven rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three blocks.
Jaloni Cambridge scored 11 points in the first quarter to give the Buckeyes a 30-17 lead. The Buckeyes shot 67% in the first quarter and 55% in the first quarter.
The Buckeyes scored 11 of the first 13 points in the second quarter to push their lead to 22 points, which they scored three times before halftime. The first half score was 47-28.
Kennedy Cambridge scored seven points in the third quarter, and her 3-pointer near the seven-minute mark gave the Buckeyes a 28-point lead. The difference reached 34 points – 81-47 – with 3:20 left in the game.
Chance Gray scored 14 points and Ava Watson 13 for Ohio State (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten). Kylie Keatts had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Madison Layden-Zay scored 17 points, Nia Smith 11 and Tara Day 10 for Purdue (8-6, 0-3).
Ohio State shot 42% for the game and made 16 of 18 free throws. Purdue shot 30 percent and went 20 of 29 from the free throw line.
Ohio State has beaten Purdue 181-102 in its last two games.
NO. 22 BAYLOR 77, OKLAHOMA STATE 68
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Talia Scott scored 24 points, Jana Van Gytenbeek added eight of her 17 in the fourth quarter and Baylor erased a 19-point second-half deficit to beat Oklahoma State.
Scott made 5 of 8 from the field and 13 of 15 from the free throw line for Baylor (12-3, 1-1 Big 12), while Van Gytenbeek made four 3-pointers and had eight assists. Kayla Nelms added 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Bears scored the final seven points of the third quarter to cut their deficit to 60-48 and then outscored Oklahoma State 29-8 as the Cowgirls made 3 of 15 from the field in the fourth.
Jadyn Wooten scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half for Oklahoma State (12-3, 1-1). Achol Akot had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Micah Gray also scored 14. Staley Hurd and Amari Whiting added 10 points each.
Hurd scored seven points, Akot added six and Gray hit 3-pointers 29 seconds apart in a 19-4 run to open the second half that made the score 54-36 with 3:41 left in the third quarter and Akot hit two free throws about two minutes later to give the Cowgirls a 19-point lead, their largest lead of the game.
Wooten scored Oklahoma State's final six points on an 11-1 run to give the Cowgirls a 35-25 lead with 2:48 left in the first half. Scott answered with a 3-pointer 14 seconds later, and her shot in the lane with 33 seconds left cut Baylor's lead to 36-32.
