LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Lauren Betts had 22 points and 12 rebounds and No. 1 UCLA held off Penn State 83-67 on Wednesday night in a game that was relocated because of the wildfires that have been devastating the Los Angeles area.
Angela Dugalic scored 11 and Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez each had 10 for UCLA (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten).
Gabby Elliott and Talayah Walker each had 17 points for Penn State (9-9, 0-7), which has one win in its past 10 games.
The Bruins led by as many as 23 early in the second half before the Lady Lions got within 69-62 with 5:41 left to play. But UCLA clamped down to hold Penn State scoreless over the final 3:27.
The game was moved to Long Beach State because of concerns over the wildfires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of structures.
UCLA had not played since Jan. 7 after Northwestern declined to travel for road games against the Bruins and No. 4 Southern California because of the fires.
Takeaways
Penn State: Fifteen turnovers, which led to 20 points for UCLA, cost Penn State the chance to notch a historic upset.
UCLA: Normally one of the best shooting teams in the country, the Bruins were 7 of 25 (28%) from 3-point range.
Key moment
UCLA closed out the first half on a 16-3 run, taking advantage of Penn State mistakes to speed up the tempo and attack the rim.
Key stat
Sharing the ball was contagious for UCLA, which had 27 assists on 35 made baskets. Six different UCLA players had at least three assists, led by Elina Aarnisalo with six.
Up next
Penn State hosts No. 9 Ohio State on Sunday. UCLA faces Baylor in the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey on Monday.
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