First half stutter turns into second half stomping in No. 1 UCLA's win over No. 16 Cal Baptist
The Bruins may have started the game slower than expected, but they certainly didn't finish that way.
UCLA center Lauren Betts #51 takes a jump shot during an NCAA Women's Basketball game between California Baptist University and University of California Los Angeles on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles Calif LOS ANGELES - UCLA may not have many issues at a team, but starting slow stands out as the most apparent example. It's shown up before in tight games against teams like Ohio State, Michigan and Washington. Even with all those games ending in a UCLA victory, there were still interesting moments early on where that result was in question.
No. 1 UCLA's matchup against No. 16 Cal Baptist in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was no different.
The Lancers went into the game as the obvious underdogs, and with something to prove. UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens #8 dives for the loose ball during an NCAA Women's Basketball game between California Baptist University and University of California Los Angeles on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles Calif Edwin So - The Sporting Tribune UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens #8 dives for the loose ball during an NCAA Women's Basketball game between California Baptist University and University of California Los Angeles on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles Calif "My mindset was trying to show everyone we were better than No. 16," Cal Baptist junior guard Filipa Barros said.
"We had nothing to lose. So, just trying to come with everything and prove to everyone they were wrong. " Scrappy vs.
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