UCLA stops Oklahoma in early top-10 women’s basketball showdown

It was supposed to be the battle of the bigs, UCLA’s Lauren Betts vs. Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers. Instead, the guards ended up stealing the headlines.

No. 4 UCLA defeated No. 7 Oklahoma 73-59 on Monday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, a senior transfer from Utah, finished with a game-high 20 points, four rebounds and one assist, marking her second consecutive game with 20 or more points. She shot 8-of-13 from the field including 2-of-5 from 3.

The Bruins held a narrow five-point lead at halftime, but the UCLA’s experience came through in the second half. The Bruins outscored the Sooners 32-23 in the second half en route to a 14-point victory. Four Bruins finished with double digits: Angela Dugalic had 14 points, Gabriela Jaquez 11 and Kiki Rice 10. Lauren Betts added nine points and 10 rebounds in the win.

The Sooners were holding their breath early in the fourth quarter after Oklahoma senior center Raegan Beers went down clutching her knee after a rebound attempt. Beers returned to the contest and finished with seven points and 14 rebounds. Payton Verhulst had a team-high 16 points in the loss.

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, highlights and results for Monday’s matchup between the UCLA Bruins and Oklahoma Sooners, two teams with championship aspirations. Catch up below:

End of 3Q: UCLA 59, Oklahoma 48

The Sooners opened the third quarter on a 6-2 run to cut the Bruins’ lead to one. UCLA responded with a 11-1 run to stretch the lead back to double-digits. 

UCLA held Oklahoma to 12 points in the third quarter. Three of those points came from a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Payton Verhulst to end the quarter. 

UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, a transfer from Utah, has 18 points, four rebounds and one assist. Lauren Betts is up to nine points, five rebounds and two blocks. 

Halftime: UCLA 41, Oklahoma 36

Both teams appeared to cool off in the second quarter following the blistering pace of the opening stanza. The Bruins have a five-point advantage heading into halftime after leading by as many as 10 in the second quarter.

UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens was the first player to reach double-digits with 14 first-quarter points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field including 2-of-3 from the 3-point line. Gabriela Jaquez added eight points, while Angela Dugalić added five points. Lauren Betts has five points and four rebounds.

Oklahoma didn’t have an ideal start to the second quarter. Third-team All-American Raegan Beers was called for back-to-back fouls in a span of 25 seconds to start the frame and was quickly subbed out with 9:16 remaining in the second quarter. She’s not the only Sooner in foul trouble. Freshman phenom Aaliyah Chavez played with two fouls in the second quarter.

The foul trouble led to Zya Vann taking over point guard duties from Chavez. Vann scored a team-high 11 points, shooting 4-of-7 from the field including 1-of-2 from 3. Payton Verhulst added nine points and Raegan Beers has five points and five rebounds. 

UCLA is winning the rebound battle with 31 rebounds (nine offensive), compared to 18 rebounds (four offensive) for the Sooners, but the Bruins are losing the turnover battle. UCLA had seven turnovers in the first half (which Oklahoma converted to six points), continuing a troubling trend. The Bruins had 12 turnovers in the season opener vs. San Diego State and 14 turnovers against UC Santa Barbara. 

End of Q1: UCLA 24, Oklahoma 22

The first quarter was as closely-contested as they come, but UCLA went on a 13-2 run to create some separation and take a six-point lead over Oklahoma. The Sooners, however, closed the gap and came within two points to end the first quarter.  

Gabriela Jaquez has a team-high eight points for UCLA, while Gianna Knneepkens and Angela Dugalić each added five points. Payton Verhulst and Zya Vann combined for 14 of Oklahoma’s 22 points. 

Both teams are shooting lights out from the 3-point line. The Sooners are 2-of-2 from 3, while the Bruins are 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. 

Oklahoma up early vs. UCLA

The top-10 showdown between the Sooners and Bruins is underway at Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. It has been a face-paced matchup so far, with Oklahoma leading 18-16 with 3:11 remaining in the second quarter.

Sooners guard Payton Verhulst has scored seven of Oklahoma’s 18 points. Zya Vann added seven points. Oklahoma has 12 points in the paint, while the Bruins have eight paint points.

Gianna Kneepkens and Gabriela Jaquez each added five points for the Bruins. The turnovers have started to pile up for the Bruins, who committed three turnovers that the Sooners converted to four points.

UCLA women’s basketball starting lineup

• Lauren Betts, C
• Kiki Rice, G
• Gabriela Jaquez, G
• Gianna Kneepkens, G
• Charlisse Leger-Walker, G

Oklahoma women’s basketball starting lineup

• Raegan Beers, C
• Payton Verhulst, G
• Aaliyah Chavez, G
• Zya Vann, G
• Sahara Williams, F

UCLA freshman Sienna Betts ruled out vs. Oklahoma

UCLA freshman forward Sienna Betts, the younger sister of UCLA star center Lauren Betts, has been ruled out of the Bruins’ top-10 showdown against Oklahoma due to a lower left leg injury. Betts sustained the injury during a closed scrimmage against UC Riverside in mid-October, UCLA announced on Nov. 1. Sienna also missed the Bruins’ season-opening win over San Diego State and UC Santa Barbra.

UCLA head coach Cori Close said there’s no timetable for Betts’ return, adding that the five-star recruit is taking recovery ‘day by day.’

‘She was in there working this morning and I was like, ‘Oh man, I sure would like to get her out there,” Close said Thursday during her postgame press conference. ‘It really is just sort of a week-by-week kind of thing.

‘I asked our trainer today, you know, ‘How do you feel about her progress? Do you feel like it’s going?’ She says, ‘I think she’s doing a great job. I think it’s going really well.’ I just don’t — I literally haven’t been given a timeline yet.’

What time is UCLA vs. Oklahoma?

The UCLA Bruins will face the Oklahoma Sooners in a top-10 showdown on Monday, Nov. 10 at 10:30 p.m. ET at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

UCLA vs. Oklahoma: TV, streaming for top-10 showdown

• Date: Monday, Nov. 11
• Time: 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT)
• Location: Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, California)
• TV: FS1
• Stream: Fubo

UCLA women’s basketball roster

Oklahoma women’s basketball roster

Preseason women’s college basketball rankings

The defending champion Connecticut Huskies took the No. 1 spot in the initial USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, released on Thursday, Oct. 23. UConn lost Paige Bueckers to the WNBA, but returns Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong as it looks to become the first repeat champion since winning four straight from 2013-16.

The path for UConn will once again go through South Carolina, which is ranked No. 2. The Gamecocks added firepower with Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson, who led the NCAA with 25.2 points per game last season.

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

The USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at Division I schools. The panel is chosen by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The members represent each of the 32 Division I conferences that receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Each coach submits a top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.

1. UConn (28 first-place votes)
2. South Carolina (3 first-place votes)
3. Texas
4. UCLA
5. LSU
6. Duke
7. Oklahoma
8. North Carolina State
9. Tennessee
10. Maryland
11. North Carolina
12. TCU
13. Notre Dame
14. Mississippi
15. Michigan
16. Southern California
17. Iowa State
18. Baylor
19. Louisville
20. Kentucky
21. Vanderbilt
22. Oklahoma State
23. Iowa
24. Ohio State
25. Kansas State

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