The UCLA Bruins secured the Rainbow Wahine Showdown championship on Sunday with a 70-49 win over Hawaii, moving to 8-0 on the season.
The 70 points was the second lowest total in a game this season for the #1 Bruins, with UCLA holding a slim 32-29 halftime lead before the Bruins defense suffocated Hawaii in the second half, holding them to 7-27 shooting in the second half while outscoring Hawaii 38-20.
UCLA held a strong edge in the rebounding department, with a 44-26 advantage on the boards, that’s coming even with junior center Lauren Betts bringing in a season-low three rebounds. Betts still poured in 18 points for the Bruins, second most on the team below junior guard Kiki Rice who 21 points as she continues to look sharp after being out of the lineup with an injury.
Rice went 7-10 from the field and hit two threes and two steals. The 21 points wwereseason-high, with Rice averaging 14 points per game in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown. Junior Gabriela Jaquez continued her string of strong showings, earning a place in the starting lineup and she didn’t disappoint, 11 points on 5-6 shooting with seven rebounds.
Jaquez, Betts, and Rice were all named to the All-Tournament team, with Betts being named MVP. While not having her most eye-popping statistical performance, Betts still added two blocks and a steal. It’s now the second year in a row that the Bruins have jumped out to an 8-0 start to the season, with UCLA winning their first 14 games last year. The chance for 9-0 will come next Sunday on the road against Washington in the Bruins’ Big Ten opener.