LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charles Ledger-Walker tied a season-high with 20 points and No. 2 UCLA beat USC 73-50 on Sunday to complete its first undefeated Big Ten women’s regular season in 11 years.
The Bruins (28-1, 18-0) matched Maryland’s record in 2014-15, when the Terrapins also went 18-0. UCLA defeated Wisconsin last weekend to claim the league title outright. The Bruins haven’t lost since being defeated by the then-top-ranked Bruins on Nov. 26. 4 Texas, 76-65.
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Earlier Sunday, the selection committee revealed for the second time in advance that the Bruins were projected to be one of the four seeds in the NCAA women’s tournament. Undefeated UConn is the top seed, having defeated UCLA and South Carolina.
Gabriella Jaquez had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Gianna Nipkens also had 14 points. Bruins Lauren Bates had 5 points on 2-of-10 shooting, 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
Freshman star Jaz Davidson scored 12 points and Kennedy Smith added 11 points for the Trojans (17-12, 9-9), who have lost three straight and are 7-9 in their past 16 games. On January 3, they were swept by the Bruins, losing 80-46.
USC star JuJu Watkins, who attended the game in street clothes, has spent the season recovering from a torn ACL she suffered in last year’s March Madness. A year ago Sunday, Watkins scored 30 points in a win over UCLA to help the Trojans capture the Big Ten regular-season title in their first season in the league.
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This time, USC took the lead in the third quarter, scoring nine straight points, including two 3-pointers from Kara Dunn, to tie the game at nine. But the Bruins entered the fourth quarter with a 57-36 lead thanks to 10-0 and 7-0 offensive spurts.
UCLA went on another 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, extending its lead to 71-42. The Bruins dominated the glass 47-22, including a 22-5 lead on the offensive glass. They forced 15 USC turnovers, which allowed the Bruins to score 20 points.
Next
UCLA: Enters the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis on Friday as the No. 1 seed.
USC: Play in the Big Ten Championship on Wednesday or Thursday.
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