The optimism didn’t last long in Los Angeles. Iowa’s two-game road trip ended in disappointment as the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season, highlighted by an 88–65 blowout loss to No. 2 UCLA that pushed Jan Jensen into a rare and telling Lauren Betts admission.

“Double-teams can’t really slow down Betts, I don’t think, because she doesn’t force anything. If anything, I will advise against the double. She squares up and then rockets it to Kneepkens,” Jensen said in the post-game press conference. ” So do you give up two, or do you have her kick it out for three? We tried to crowd her and give the illusion, right? We tried to stay out, but they just hammered it inside. And we didn’t do a great job on the closeouts today.”

Foul trouble followed Lauren Betts for a second straight game on Sunday afternoon. The reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year was whistled for three fouls by the second quarter in Wednesday’s road game at Illinois, limiting her availability. But Cori Close knew she could not afford to keep Lauren Betts on the bench for long.

“I knew that they wanted to play through their posts, and so if we had someone else who could come in and do a really great job and not take that risk, I thought it was prudent in this style of game that I do that,” Close said. “But I really do trust Lauren in that she knows how to make those adjustments to keep herself out of foul trouble.”

In just 21 minutes, Betts made her presence felt, scoring 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting while contributing four rebounds and two assists. But Betts wasn’t the lone headache for Iowa. UCLA’s balanced attack featured five players in double figures, including four starters.

Iowa allowed UCLA to shoot 58 percent from the field while managing just 43 percent themselves, and that was only part of the problem. Betts’ presence opened up clean looks for the Bruins, a point coach Jensen highlighted as UCLA shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. The story was similar in the paint, where UCLA outrebounded Iowa by eight and piled up a staggering 56 points inside.

Going forward, this should worry the rest of the Big Ten. There is currently no slowing down the UCLA Bruins under Cori Close. With this win, the Bruins improved to 11–0 in the Big Ten Conference, and with Lauren Betts finding her rhythm after a slow start, it is hard to see anyone in the league stopping them.

Even with seven ranked teams in the conference, none appear equipped to handle an in-form Betts, who is averaging a team-high 16.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks.

Still, the work is far from done for the Bruins, who cannot afford any complacency with a challenging stretch of games looming.

Two Ranked Tests Await Lauren Betts and Co.

UCLA’s women’s program has not enjoyed the same historic success as its men’s counterpart, and a national title continues to slip through its grasp. The Bruins came closest last season, only to see their championship hopes end in the Final Four against UConn. The fallout led to a significant offseason overhaul, as six players from that Final Four team moved on.

Still, with Lauren Betts staying put and her sister, freshman Sienna Betts, joining the roster, the Bruins appear well-positioned to build on last season’s success. That said, the road ahead is far from simple. After a matchup against Rutgers, which should pose little threat, UCLA faces a daunting stretch with road games against No. 9 Michigan Wolverines and No. 13 Michigan State Spartans.

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No one is suggesting the Bruins cannot win those games. In fact, ESPN gives them more than a 60 percent chance in both games. However, ranked teams have repeatedly stumbled in similar situations. We have already seen it happen to the Texas Longhorns and now the Iowa Hawkeyes, a reminder that college basketball can turn tricky very quickly.

So what do you think? Do Lauren Betts and co make it through this stretch unscathed, or does the road finally catch up to them? Let us know in the comments.