UCLA star Lauren Betts rewards fans who helped change her life

UCLA center Lauren Betts scored 35 points during the Bruins' second round NCAA tournament win over Oklahoma State Monday at Pauley Pavilion. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) Lauren Betts arrived at UCLA unsure she could continue playing college basketball. After a turbulent freshman season at Stanford almost took her out of the game entirely, she joined rising stars Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice in Westwood.

Betts blossomed in three seasons as a Bruin, but none of her games were as special as the final one she played at Pauley Pavilion. During a second-round NCAA tournament win over Oklahoma State on Monday that at times was closer than many expected, Betts dropped a career-high 35 points and nine rebounds to lead UCLA to the Sweet 16. “This community, the minute that I transferred over here, has just welcomed me with open arms,” Betts said.

“The fans have just been so supportive of me through my entire journey, through my mental challenges, through just basketball, everything. I feel like I've grown so much, and they have really taken care of me here. “It's not even about basketball to me at this point.

Like the people, like Coach Cori [Close] said, that we've been able to affect and just the difference that we've made, I think has been huge. And so for me, like, just to see all the people waving at us at the end of the game was really special. ” Betts wrote about her journey to joy on March 9 in The Players Tribune , the second time she has spoken or written in detail about her battle with depression and thoughts of taking her own life.