The UCLA Bruins are still feeling the sting of their recent 76-65 loss to the Texas Longhorns, a game that delivered more than just a tough scoreline. Star center Lauren Betts went down with an injury, ruling her out of the next matchup against Duke. With concern growing about her status in the long run, head coach Cori Close finally offered some clarity on Betts’ contusion and what comes next.

“Believe me, it wasn’t the news I wanted. We were trying to test some things to see if we could go even up to shoot around, and our medical staff was just saying it’s not wise. And now we’re onto that next position. Lauren obviously affects a lot of plays, and on both sides of the ball,” said UCLA coach Cori Close.

There is no doubt about how important Betts is for the team and how desperately they needed her services today. The 6’7″ center averages 14.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and has an impressive 60.3% shooting from the field this season. She is also one of the notable draft picks of the 2026 season and is touted to be the next big thing in women’s basketball. So, having her in full health is indeed reassuring for any team. But how did Betts end up hurting herself?

The landing was awkward, and as her left arm got entangled with Booker’s right arm, she winced in pain. She had to leave the match in between because of this and briefly made her way to the locker room. After a short while, however, she returned to finish off the game, which led the fans to believe it was a minor abrasion. But that was not the case.

Reporter Talia Goodman confirmed that Betts would miss out against Duke, and the gravity of the situation hit home. There’s still doubt over her return against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

“Yeah, I don’t know, we got some positives on our first details of some hopefully not dangerous things, but we’re going to get imaging when we get back and do things like that. We were really trying to get to play today. It was very evident this morning that it just wasn’t going to be wise, but I probably won’t know until I get some further testing done tomorrow,” concluded Close, hinting uncertainly at the possible return of the “Ice”. While speculation rises about her return to court, it reminds us of a similar injury in the WNBA finals.

Alyssa Thomas had injured her arm after she bumped into Jewel Loyd during a Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces game. Similar to Lauren, she went down on the floor and was in visible pain. Ironically, she also came back and played the remainder of the match, but to a losing effort (86-97). Although unlike Betts, Thomas has had a long history of shoulder injuries.

UCLA Bruins pulled a stunner without Betts

Despite Lauren Betts missing the game against the Duke Blue Devils, the team managed to operate like a well-oiled machine. Gabriela Jaquez (23), Charlisse Leger-Walker (20), Kiki Rice (17), Gianna Kneepkens (13), and Angela Dugalic all chipped in to establish an unassailable lead. Just take a look at the quarters, and it tells you the story.

In the first quarter itself, Cori Close’s team put up 30 points, restricting Duke to just 7 points. Kara Lawson’s team came back strong in the second quarter, edging the Bruins 18-13, but it was too little too late. The damage had already been done, and the Blue Devils felt the repercussions of their inability to counter the oncoming attacks.

This surely is a positive sign for the team. With Betts out of the picture for an unspecified time, the responsibility of the team has shifted, and seniors like Jaquez, Rice will have to shoulder even more responsibility. Angela Dugalic will get even more time to shine as she can play in multiple roles – scorer. rebounder and playmaker.

Dugalic’s rebound average is also a fraction less than center Betts’- 6.6 compared to Lauren’s 7.4. So, looking back, the team doesn’t have much to worry about for now. But it remains to be seen if they can keep this up for the next few games.