UCLA's Betts Displays Modesty, Distributes Praise to Teammates

After leading UCLA to the Sweet 16, Lauren Betts used her spotlight to celebrate her teammates, crediting grit, unity and trust as the Bruins’ true difference-makers.

Mar 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) celebrates scoring a basket in the third quarter against the Richmond Spiders during an NCAA Tournament second round game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

After dropping 30 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in UCLA’s 84–67 win over Richmond, junior center Lauren Betts could have taken a moment to talk about her own dominance. She didn’t. Her focus was on everyone else.

“I’m just so proud of Kendall,” Betts said postgame. “I just, I love her so much.”

That would be freshman forward Kendall Dudley, one of several bench players who stepped into crucial minutes in the Bruins’ second-round NCAA Tournament win. 

While Betts and junior guard Kiki Rice carried the scoring load, Betts made it clear how much UCLA’s success depends on the full roster.

“Being a freshman on this team is not easy, but she just continues to work and do what she needs to do to help the team,” Betts said. “Through how hard it is throughout the season, she just continues to just contribute in any way that she can so I’m just really thankful that she’s on this team.”

UCLA entered halftime tied at 36 with the Spiders before blowing the game open with a 29–7 third quarter. For Betts, the shift wasn’t about schemes, it was about mindset.

“I thought that second half, we really turned it around. I think we just changed our mentality defensively,” she said. “We had each other's back. We played as a unit. And that's what's most important.”

That unified effort, Betts added, will be even more crucial as the Bruins move deeper into March.

“I think that grit, especially in March Madness, is super important ... making sure we hold each other accountable in timeouts is going to be super important moving forward,” she said. “Coach Cori has held us accountable, and she’s not changing the standards... that’s just going to push us individually to make sure that when we’re on the floor, we do what we need to do to win.”

Betts had plenty of praise for Rice as well. Rice scored 23 points, hit four threes, and ran the floor with poise.

“I’m just super thankful that Kiki’s my teammate and I don’t have to play against her,” Betts said. “I call her like the point god. She just like, she’s really that girl.”

Rice’s confidence — especially from beyond the arc — stood out.

“I’m just proud that she was confident in her shot today,” Betts said. “On the kickouts I was just like, yes, Kiki, shoot every single time. ... I just know moving forward, we’re going to continue to do great things.”

As for her own rebounding performance, Betts pointed to UCLA’s shot selection as the spark.

“When we force really tough shots, that’s when we don’t get in the right position to create those offensive rebounds,” she explained. “Tonight we just made the right decision with the ball and I was just there to basically just clean up the mess whenever I needed to.”

With the win, UCLA advances to face No. 5 seed Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Spokane. And if Betts’ words are any indication, the Bruins aren’t just moving on; they’re locked in.

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