Top-ranked UCLA women’s basketball narrowly avoided its second straight loss, defeating No. 22 Michigan State 75-69 on Sunday night despite playing without starting center Lauren Betts, who is out day-to-day with a foot injury.

Timea Gardiner’s go-ahead three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining helped the Bruins (24-1, 12-1 Big Ten) pull ahead late. Kiki Rice sealed the win with four free throws in the closing seconds, finishing with 16 points and seven assists. Gardiner led UCLA with 18 points.

The Bruins had to adjust defensively without Betts, who wore a boot on her injured right foot. Head coach Cori Close acknowledged the challenge but praised her team’s resilience.

“The biggest thing that hurt us not having Lauren tonight was how we would play defensively,” Close said, as reported by Andrés Soto of the Los Angeles Times. “And it took us a long time to figure out how we could adjust with her not being there as a rim protector.”

UCLA women's basketball stages outscores Spartans down the stretch

UCLA Bruins forward Timea Gardiner (30) and forward Janiah Barker (0) celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Michigan State Spartans.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Janiah Barker started in Betts’ place and posted 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Bruins struggled in the third quarter, scoring just 12 points while Michigan State (19-6, 9-5) took a 55-53 lead heading into the fourth.

Trailing by four with under four minutes to play, UCLA outscored Michigan State 12-2 down the stretch. Rice and Gardiner led the comeback, while Michigan State managed only two free throws in the final minutes.

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Spartans head coach Robyn Fralick received a technical foul with 17 seconds left after arguing a non-call on what appeared to be a foul against Nyla Hampton. Rice then made two free throws to put UCLA up 73-69, all but securing the win.

Close credited her team’s mental toughness in a game where they had to find a way to win without one of their key players.

“I aged a few years in that game,” Close said jokingly. “I am really proud of the confidence, and the grit and the toughness that we earned. … We’ve been talking a lot about not relying on your talent or making it look pretty, but doing whatever it takes to find a way to win.”

UCLA, which had its 23-game winning streak snapped by USC on Thursday, edged Michigan State on the boards 32-28. The Spartans fell to 1-6 all-time against No. 1 teams.

Michigan State will visit Juju Watkins and the rest USC women's basketball on Wednesday, while UCLA hosts Illinois on Thursday.

Reporting from Beth Harris of The Associated Press contributed to this article.