Angel Reese will have to wait another year to get revenge on Lauren Betts.
The 6-foot-7 junior is hoping to inspire No.1 seed UCLA to March Madness glory off the back of a first ever Big Ten Championship.
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Betts was given a standing ovation with 26 seconds leftCredit: Getty
She could not have gotten off to a much better start.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Betts only needed to play 25 minutes as the Bruins breezed past the Southern Jaguars 84-46.
Richmond put up more of a fight on Sunday but couldn’t contain the rising star, who put up a historic 30 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes.
Betts is the first UCLA player ever to hit 30 with at least 10 boards and coach Cori Close gave her her flowers with a late substitution and standing ovation.
“She’s an absolute generational player … an elite player,” Close said. “She’s incredibly competitive. She affects the game in so many ways on both offense and defense. I mean the list goes on and on.
“The scouting report starts with Lauren every time. And so it’s really almost an impossible task [to guard her]. And our other players are the beneficiary of the attention that she draws every single night.”
“Lauren just makes the game easy for everyone on this team,” point guard Kiki Rice added.
“And I think her ability to shoulder so much weight and just do that on a consistent basis and show up for us every single day is something we really admire.”
Last year, the Bruins were beaten in the Sweet 16 stage by LSU.
At the end of the first quarter with the score at 15-15, former Tigers center Reese fought with Betts — one of few women who tower over the 6-foot-3 WNBA star — and came down without the ball.
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Betts inspired the Bruins to victory in the Big Ten ChampionshipCredit: Getty
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Reese was left with a bloody nose after their last encounterCredit: ESPN
Chicago Sky sophomore Reese ended up with a bloodied nose after being caught by the Bruins talisman’s elbow.
No foul was called but LSU had the last laugh as Reese finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 78-69 victory.
The defending champion ended up losing to Caitlin Clark‘s Iowa in the next round.
Reese followed No.1 pick Clark into the WNBA after Chicago selected her seventh overall and she went on to enjoy a strong rookie season.
Betts was projected to be a top-five pick if she declared for this year’s Draft but will stay in California instead as she eyes a family reunion.
Her sister Sienna — a 6-foot-4 high school standout — signed with the Bruins in November.
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“College is the best years of your life, and so I don’t think I’d ever give that up,” Betts said. “Why not be spoiled for a whole another year?
“The way the coaches take care of us in this program, like, how comfortable I am here, and I think that the friendships I’ve created — I’d want to do that for another year.
“I want to win a national championship, obviously, if not this year, then obviously next year, but hopefully we could just do it both times.
“I think that I would be crazy if I gave up the opportunity to play with my sister, so obviously, I’m going to come back next year.”
Betts is averaging 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks this season after taking time off in January 2024 — two months before the defeat to LSU — to focus on her mental health.
“I got into a state, the lowest state I’ve ever felt in my entire life,” she told ESPN. “To a point where I was like, ‘I can’t be here. Like, I can’t be here. I can’t do life anymore.
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“I’m in my hospital gown, sitting in that bed, and I’m watching them play, and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening right now. That was a huge wake-up call for me. I was like, ‘I need help.’
“I have to put myself first. This is my life. Like, this is my health. It’s way bigger than basketball.”
After battling her demons, Betts is a different prospect this year.
The only team to beat UCLA this season is USC, who won the first two encounters between the powerhouses.
But in the Big Ten Championship finale, Betts and the Bruins came out on top of the Trojans, who are led by standout Juju Watkins.
“I don’t think you guys understand… I am so freaking proud of this team,” Betts said as confetti rained from the rafters. “We earned that game. We worked our butts off. We stayed together. We learned. We could have given up after we lost to them back-to-back.
“We would not be denied this game. And I’m so freaking proud of everybody. This means so much to UCLA.”
With the gifted 21-year-old at the top of her game, few would bet against UCLA going all the way in 2025. When she links up with her sister, all Betts are off.
How to watch March Madness in the UK
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March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
Click here to sign up to a Sky Sports subscription, or read our article on the best Sky Sports deals available now.
