UCLA beats Ohio State, extends win streak to 24 and reaches Big Ten tournament title game

INDIANAPOLIS — The UCLA women’s basketball is one game away from adding another milestone during its dominant season.

For the second consecutive year, UCLA will compete for the Big Ten tournament championship. Lauren Betts nearly nabbed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds in a 72-62 win over No. 5-seed Ohio State during a semifinal on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Kiki Rice tallied 17 points and eight rebounds, just shy of her own double-double.

It was UCLA’s 24th win in a row and kept the Bruins undefeated in conference play.

The Bruins (30-1, 18-0) jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first quarter on three consecutive baskets from Rice. The Buckeyes cut the lead to four, but UCLA forced nine first-half turnovers and used them to grow their lead.

The Bruins led 32-21 at halftime and by as much as 16 in the second quarter.

Similar to Friday’s conference tournament win over Washington, UCLA struggled to find consistency behind the three-point arc and shot one for nine from deep in the first half.

The Buckeyes (26-7, 13-5), though, didn’t fade quietly in the fourth quarter as Washington did. Ohio State stayed within single digits of UCLA until the end of the game, while the Bruins’ offense kept a cushion with 44.4% shooting.

Ohio State’s 62 points were the third fewest in a game this season. Chance Gray led the Buckeyes with 23 points.

In December, UCLA played one of its closest games of the season at Ohio State, an 82-75 win. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press top 25 poll and are expected to host a first-round NCAA tournament game.

UCLA will face the winner of Michigan versus Iowa in Sunday’s Big Ten conference championship game. Tipoff is at at 11:15 a.m. and the game will air on CBS.