Lauren Betts delivered a statement performance. Against the Oregon Ducks, Betts dominated on both sides of the floor, finishing with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and a season-high five blocks. UCLA had a complete performance, scrubbing out the Ducks 80-59 in the Big Ten opener. However, Coach Cori Close was still critical of their second-half performance. 

In that Texas loss, UCLA was rendered toothless in the first half. The Bruins couldn’t get out of their shell. With Betts’ shutdown, they scored only 25 points in the first half. That proved too costly. This time, they came out swinging in the first but were unable to maintain that momentum in the second. That is something Coach Close is keen on solving as the season moves along. 

“The thing that I’m really challenging them on is our consistency. When we get into comfortable spaces, we just have to grow on not getting tired of doing it right. It’s that we get casual,” She told the media after the game. “We communicate less, our rebounding numbers were less, our passion plays were less. 17, if you count the first possession of the second half, 17 of our 22 assists happened in the first 20 minutes and 30 seconds. And we just have to fight for greatness.”

The Bruins accelerated to 19-8 in the first quarter before erupting for 30 points in the second. UCLA had a field day in that half, shooting 49% from the field, 35% from three-point range (6 of 17), and limiting Oregon to just 29% shooting and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc. In an all-around domination, they led 31-10 in rebounding and scored 26 points in the paint compared to 10 for the Ducks. They were 49-26 at halftime, and the fans smelled a 100+ point game.

However, they let Oregon stay above water in the second half.  They were outscored by two points in the second as UCLA never pushed the lead past 27, and 3 times allowed the deficit to be reduced to 19. Close was visibly frustrated with the casual basketball by her team, calling a timeout within a minute of the second half tip-off. 

“I’m really challenging them to be more competitive, possession by possession, not competitive with the scores, but competitive to our standards. And, that’s something that we must address and must address it immediately,” She further said.

While Oregon came in with an unbeaten record, they hadn’t played a team of UCLA’s quality yet. This was a game where UCLA had a chance of flexing its muscles and announcing itself as a legitimate contender. Instead, they are now seen as an unfocused team that has yet to completely play to their potential. That lack of intensity is further evident in their defensive metrics. UCLA is the 91st best defense in the country, conceding 59.1 points per game. Their ability to make stops is minimal, averaging only 7.0 steals per game, which is 278th in the country.

Even with someone like Betts, they average only 4.8 blocks per game. If they can maintain that first-half performance for the entire contest, it can vastly improve these metrics and their performance. While we fixate on the second half lull, the first half also showed a major improvement from last season for UCLA and Cori Close. 

Cori Close Diversifying Her Offense As Lauren Betts Thrives

A year ago, UCLA had a simple plan going forward. Get the ball to Lauren Betts in the paint, and she will do her thing. For good reason, as she averaged 20.2 points per game. It worked most of the time as the Bruins stormed into the final four. However, at crunch time against eventual champions UConn, the system broke down. Betts scored 26 points, but the rest of the offense was rendered practically irrelevant.

This season, we have seen Betts get shut down multiple times. Against Texas, she only had 8 points and couldn’t get going against Tennessee, scoring only 7. She finished in single digits in that Oklahoma game, as well. However, UCLA has managed to win 2 out of those three. And even against the Ducks, the variety in their offense was evident. 

There is a lot more movement in the offense for Cori Close. Gianna Kneepkens and Lena Bilic combined for 30 points to give Betts some valuable support. “A superpower of our team is that it can be anyone’s night. So when we move the ball, it’s really hard to guard cuz the defense is rotating and out of position. And it’s just a lot of fun to play that way when you’re uptempo. Everyone literally touches the ball, and you get an open shot,” Gianna Kneepkens said after the Oregon game. 

They are looking more connected with 21 assists per game, a clear rise from 20.2 per game last season. Their outside shooting is much better, shooting at 37.2% a rise from 33.5% last year. There are a lot of positive signs from this UCLA team early in the season, and we haven’t seen another talent in their squad yet. Lauren’s younger sister, Sienna Betts who is recovering from an injury. Consistent performance over the entire game is a problem, but it’s a controllable one for Cori Close.

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