The Associated Press’s Patrick Stevens
College Park No. 1 UCLA upset No. 8 Maryland 82-67 on Sunday, led by a career-high 33 points by Md. Lauren Betts and 19 from Kiki Rice.
The last 19 games have been won by double figures by the Bruins (20-0, 8-0 Big Ten).
The Terrapins (16-4, 6-3), who have lost three straight games, had 18 points from Saylor Poffenbarger. Shyanne Sellers, Maryland’s second-leading scorer, missed the game for the second straight due to a knee ailment.
Betts systematically took entry passes in the low post and deposited them for easy baskets, making it difficult for the Terps to contain him. By halftime, the 6-foot-7 junior had scored 24 points, including 14 in the first quarter. With 4:31 remaining in the game, she made two free throws, surpassing her previous career high of 31.
With at least 15 shots, Betts shot 14 of 15, setting a school record of 93.3%. That was better than Denise Curry’s 1979 88.9% shot versus LSU. Betts also contributed four blocks and seven rebounds.
Since defeating North Carolina in the 2006 NCAA semifinals en route to its lone national championship, Maryland has suffered ten straight losses to highly ranked opponents.
On Sunday, January 26, 2025, in College Park, Maryland, UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) makes a basket against Maryland forward Amari DeBerry (42) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game. (Photo by Nick Wass/AP)
Takeaways
UCLA has defeated Big Ten opponents by an average of 19.8 points and has never fallen behind in the second half of a conference game.
Without Sellers and Bri McDaniel, who sustained a season-ending knee injury on January 14, Maryland has had trouble handling the ball. The Terps have committed 20.7 turnovers on average over their last three games, including 18 against UCLA.
Key moment
On UCLA’s first two possessions of the second half, Betts made a layup and Gabriela Jaquez completed a fastbreak, increasing the advantage to 43-34. For the remainder of the game, the Bruins maintained a lead of at least seven points despite Maryland calling a timeout.
Key stats
Maryland tied a season low with seven assists on 25 field goals, while UCLA had 22 assists on 30 field goals.
Up next
Before hosting Minnesota on February 2, UCLA will have a week off between games.
On Wednesday, Maryland will travel to Penn State.
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