Women’s Top 25 roundup: No. 4 UCLA stays hot, crushes Penn St.

Lauren Betts poured in a game-high 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting to lead No. 4 UCLA to its seventh straight victory, a 97-61 wire-to-wire walloping of Penn State on Monday in University Park, Pa.

Betts scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Bruins (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten) shot 57.9% from the field, built a 29-12 lead and never looked back. Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice scored 16 and Sienna Betts chipped in 10 for UCLA, which led by 38 late in the game.

Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez each grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and Charlisse Leger-Walker dished out a game-high eight assists for the Bruins, who shot 52.9% (36 of 68) from the field and 50% from 3-point range (9 of 18). UCLA outscored Penn State 46-26 in points in the paint and scored 24 points off 18 turnovers.

For the Lady Lions (7-7, 0-3), Gracie Merkle came off the bench to score 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field, while Kiyomi McMiller scored 13 and secured six rebounds. Penn State, which has lost three straight and six of seven, shot 43.6% (24 of 55) from the field and just 21.1% (4 of 19) from beyond the arc.

No. 1 UConn 90, Providence 53

Azzi Fudd notched game highs of 18 points and six assists to lead four double-digit scorers as the Huskies remained undefeated with a blowout of the host Friars.

Sarah Strong chipped in 17 points and a game-high seven rebounds, Blanca Quinonez added 11 points and Jana El Alfy scored 10 for UConn (14-0, 5-0 Big East), which jumped out a 30-7 lead after one quarter and led by 38 late in the third. The Huskies excelled from the field, shooting 55% (33 of 60) and made 12 of 26 shots from 3-point range.

Sabou Gueye scored 12 for the Friars (8-7, 1-3), but also committed seven of the team’s 30 turnovers, which the Huskies turned into 41 points. Payton Dunbar and Princess Moody each chipped in 11 points for Providence, which has lost five of its last seven after shooting 35.4% (17 of 48) from the field and 42.1% (8 of 19) from beyond the arc.

No. 10 Iowa State 80, Houston 62

Audi Crooks posted her fifth straight game of 30-plus points, scoring a game-high 35 on 17-of-21 shooting from the field, as the undefeated Cyclones took down the host Cougars.

Crooks added a team-high 13 rebounds while Jada Williams posted a double-double of 16 points and a game-high 14 assists for Iowa State (14-0, 2-0 Big 12), which broke open a close game by outscoring Houston 28-17 in the second quarter. The Cyclones shot well from both the field (53.1%) and 3-point range (50%) and dominated points in the paint (52-24).

Briana Peguero paced the Cougars (6-7, 0-2) with 14 points, with Jade Jones adding 11 and TK Pitts stuffing the stat sheet with nine points along with a game-high 15 rebounds and four steals. Houston has lost four of its last five after a 5-3 start.

No. 19 Ohio State 83, Purdue 56

Jaloni Cambridge scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a game-high seven assists as the Buckeyes cruised to a victory over the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind.

Kennedy Cambridge scored 16, Chance Gray chipped in 14 points and Kylee Kitts contributed nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds as the Buckeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) built a 13-point lead after one quarter and never trailed. Ohio State was outrebounded 40-39, but scored 29 points off 26 Purdue turnovers.

The Boilermakers (8-6, 0-3), who shot just 30.2% (16 of 53) from the field, compared to 42% for the Buckeyes (29 of 69), were led by Madison Layden-Zay, who scored a game-high 17 points. Nya Smith posted 11 points and Tara Daye added 10 as Purdue lost its second straight game following a three-game win streak.

No. 22 Baylor 77, Oklahoma State 68

Taliah Scott finished with a game-high 24 points as the Bears rallied from a 19-point deficit to avoid an upset bid by the Cowgirls in Stillwater, Okla.

Trailing 60-41 late in the third, Baylor (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) went on a 25-4 run to take a 66-64 lead with 3:34 remaining in regulation. Scott scored nine of her points during that stretch, and finished 13 of 15 from the free-throw line. Jana Van Gytenbeek notched 17 points and a game-high eight assists, while Kayla Nelms chipped in 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Baylor won despite shooting just 41.7% (25 of 60) from the field.

Jaydn Wooten led a quintet of double-figure scorers for Oklahoma State (12-3, 1-1) before fouling out. Achol Akot delivered 14 points and a game-high 10 boards and Micah Gray also scored 14, while Amari Whiting and Stailee Heard each scored 10. The Cowgirls, who shot 40.6% (26 of 64) from the field, have dropped two of their last four after a 10-1 start.

–Field Level Media