Round one of the Battle of LA goes to the Bruins.
LOS ANGELES - Round one of the Battle of Los Angeles goes to the Bruins in a dominant 80-46 display.
A hard fought first quarter that was defined by a nearly immaculate three point performance by No. 17 USC (10-4, 2-1) ended in a 16-16 tie. Beyond that, It was all No. 4 UCLA (14-1, 4-0). The Bruins broke away with a 27 point second quarter and added on from there.
The Bruins may have the 11th-best offense in the nation and average 87.9 points per game, but UCLA head coach Cori Close had made it a point throughout the season to focus not on scoring, but on the defensive side of the game.
"Offense cannot be where we find our identity because there's going to be nights where offense is not great. Maybe we don't make shots or we don't have as good a rhythm or they do something we didn't expect," Close said. "Bottom line is: I don't think we played very well offensively, but defense and rebounding was our anchor. After we got through that first part... I thought we were really good on defense and rebounding. That was our anchor and that's the thing I'm most proud of."
The disparities between the two SoCal teams were glaring pieces of defensive evidence as the Bruins held their red-and-gold counterparts to just 10 points in the paint, seven from turnovers and four second chance points. USC's bench was also woefully shutdown, scoring just 10 points total as a unit.
The Bruins were clearly upset with how they handled themselves in the first quarter, and it didn't take long for that standard of conduct to change.
"We just had to lock in. It's really just us. I think we had control of the game for the majority of it so it's just making sure that we're setting our own standard and sticking to it," senior center Lauren Betts.
Offensively, the Bruins were led once again by Betts, who netted her fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Betts dominated the paint despite fighting against double and triple teams constantly and through her own physicality, her newfound midrange shot and the elite passing ability of her teammates to find her, Betts found the basket again and again.
Another massive standout was senior guard Gianna Kneepkens, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds to showcase the versatility that she's brought to the Bruins as not only a three point scorer, but an elite inside threat as well both on and off the ball.
Darwin Walker - The Sporting Tribune
USC guard Jazzy Davidson (9) looks for an open teammate during an NCAA basketball game against the UCLA Bruins on January 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
"I thought Gianna particularly did a great job and gave us a really big spark there in the first half. Just the way she crashed the boards, created extra possessions, we got a few extra threes," senior guard Kiki Rice said.
Rice herself had an outstanding game despite just a two point first half. She finished with 14 points total, but by her own declaration it wasn't simply scoring that was on her mind, but having a well rounded game.
Darwin Walker - The Sporting Tribune
UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) dribbles the basketball during an NCAA basketball game against USC on January 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
"It wasn't really about scoring," Rice said. "I was just focused on finding my teammates. Lauren [Betts] was doing a great job of getting early seals and just let the game come to me. We have such a balanced group with so many points of attack."
The Bruins felt the sting of defeat twice last regular season from the Trojans, and while they got their revenge in last season's Big Ten championship, starting off this regular season with a win is a better start than having to come for revenge later on.
"We were really disappointed not being the aggressors [in the past] and we feel a lot better today being the aggressors," Close said."
Category: General Sports
