Back to the Sweet 16: UCLA defeats Oklahoma State 87-68

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Mar 24, 2026 - 10:00
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Back to the Sweet 16: UCLA defeats Oklahoma State 87-68

For the fourth-straight season, the UCLA Bruins are headed to the Sweet 16, as the Bruins handled No. 8 seed Oklahoma 87-68 at Pauley Pavilion. Now the Bruins will head north to Sacramento to face Big Ten foe Minnesota in the Sweet 16 matchup on Friday. 

UCLA played a great half against Oklahoma State

Monday’s win was the inverse of UCLA’s first round win over California Baptist. In UCLA’s win over the Lancers, the Bruins played a phenomenal second half after looking more average than normal in the game’s first 20 minutes. Against the Cowboys, UCLA played a terrific first half and then crawled to the finish line, getting outscored 42-41 after halftime.

Lauren Betts out-did herself

The win was the final game at Pauley Pavilion for the Bruins superb senior class. All six of UCLA’s seniors produced in the win but none quite like Lauren Betts. The 6’7” center saved her best for last, scoring a career-high 35 points to close out her time in Westwood.

Giving the home crowd something to remember

It was an absolute showcase for Betts. She went 15-19 from the field, including a few mid-range jumpshots. All of Betts’ post moves were on display, with the future WNBA first round pick also adding nine rebounds, one steal and one block.

Lena Bilic and Gianna Kneepkens provided the spacing

Gianna Kneepkens had a good game as well, knocking down three triples and scoring 15 points. As a team, UCLA hit seven threes, with freshman Lena Bilic going 2-2 from deep. Much has been made of the Bruins senior class, for good reason, but with Bilic and Sienna Betts, UCLA has some exciting freshmen to build around.

Onto the Sweet 16

UCLA led by as much as 25 in the game, and while they let Oklahoma State stick around in the game, the Bruins possess the talent needed to make a run at a national title. UCLA beat Minnesota 76-58 on the road earlier this season. Now they’ll look to do it for a second time with an Elite Eight berth on the line.

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA's Lauren Betts sets a new career-high in NCAA tournament win

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