LOS ANGELES — Lauren Betts has not just changed how she’s played – the elements of being Lauren Betts have forced her to.
Often triple-teamed and surrounded in the paint, the 6-foot-7 center’s shots might not be dropping at as high a rate to begin her senior season – averaging 13.3 points on 57.9% shooting compared to 20.2 points while converting 64.8% from the field a year ago – but the reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year’s intangibles are growing.
Coach Cori Close is seeing Betts’ efforts firsthand before No. 4 UCLA begins Big Ten play – with a one-off game against Oregon – in the middle of its nonconference slate at noon Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.
After UCLA defeated then-No. 14 Tennessee 99-77 last Sunday, Close waxed on how the struggle that may be apparent on Betts’ face – recording just seven points against the Lady Volunteers – is because she’s gained the respect of her foes if they’re game planning around her. The 15th-year Bruins coach said the adjustments Betts, who earned an invitation to the U.S. national team senior camp, has made help build and get to an “edge,” a new level of discipline to maximize potential.
“That’s a mental toughness kind of thing that we emphasize with our team all the way around,” Close told the Southern California News Group on Friday. “If you don’t lean into the hard, if you don’t invite discomfort, then you don’t get to new levels of discipline and skill.
Close said conversations with Paige Bueckers – the former Connecticut guard who became the 2025 WNBA Draft’s top selection with the Dallas Wings – helped her more fully understand what the best players in the sport have to deal with.
The nonconference streak of games, which included a loss to No. 3 Texas but wins over the likes of No. 9 Oklahoma, North Carolina, Duke and Tennessee, helped Close learn ways to further evaluate how to get Betts the ball.
Whether having Betts set high ball screens, running more plays for Betts on the run or setting screens for Betts to help her get into space, it’s all become front of mind for Close after watching her star center play against the likes of Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers and Texas’ post talent.
After falling to Texas, the players called a team meeting and told Close of their desire to run their “secondary break” 90% of the time. The Bruins’ coach has reiterated that she intends to at the very least meet her team halfway.
“I think we just had to take ownership and accountability for having come out to play games,” senior guard Gabriela Jaquez said last week. “And I think we need to be more aggressive and be tougher.”
Such efforts, however, will have to come with aggressive pressure in rebounding, Close said, the area she’s spent a priority of time on improving. Against Tennessee, senior guard Kiki Rice tallied 11 rebounds in a double-double effort, while Bruins forwards combined for 10 rebounds, as UCLA (8-1) was outrebounded on the offensive end.
Next up is the Ducks (10-0), who run one of the highest-paced offenses in the country, led by Katie Fiso. The sophomore guard shoots 60% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Close said the Bruins are looking forward to the challenge.
“I’m excited about it,” she said. “They’re playing really confidently.”
Notes
Freshman forward Sienna Betts “especially, is really close,” Close said Friday. The No. 2 incoming freshman in the country, according to ESPN, has been out since suffering a preseason lower-left leg injury.
Sienna Betts, along with senior forward Timea Gardiner (knee), will probably be out against Oregon, Close said, and that Gardiner remains behind her first-year teammate in returning to action.
Oregon (10-0) at No. 4 UCLA (8-1)
When: Noon Sunday
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV: FS1