The UCLA women's basketball team celebrated the return of Lauren Betts against Arizona, with a 66-58 win on Friday. Betts, sidelined for four games due to an undisclosed medical reason, contributed six points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in 27 minutes of play.

Betts' presence was a welcome boost for the Bruins, who had faced a challenging stretch going 2-2 in her absence. Head coach Cori Close emphasized the significance of her return not just for her on-court skills but also for the energy she brings to the team.

“It's huge,” coach Cori Close said, per ESPN. “Obviously even more huge because we're missing Lina and Angela who are with their national teams, and good luck to Germany and Serbia … I think more than that is her (Betts) spirit. Everyone was talking about that in practice yesterday. It's not that she's just a really good player; it's her energy and spirit for the sake of the team, and that was really missed. We're thrilled to have her back.”

“In the locker room we were all really excited for her, excited to have her back,” added Kiki Rice of Lauren Betts' return, “and then we got out on the court when she checked in there was a big applause for her, and that's exactly how we felt. Obviously, she's a huge part of this team and we missed her so much, so it's so great to have her back.”

Gabriela Jaquez also delivered for the Bruins, with 21 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Rice scored 20 points on an impressive 9-of-12 shooting, including a crucial 10 points in the first quarter. Despite a combined shooting slump from the other starters, UCLA's offensive strength was evident, especially in their ability to secure 18 offensive rebounds.

“We were doing good taking advantage of what was given to us,” Rice said. “I think we had really good ball movement and we recognized who the hot hand was and our defense was leading to offense. And a lot of that was getting those easy reads and lead to points.”

The Bruins had a critical 9-0 run in the third quarter to establish a lead. Arizona, despite efforts from Esmery Martinez and Kailyn Gilbert, struggled with turnovers that UCLA efficiently converted into points, a factor that Arizona coach Adia Barnes acknowledged as detrimental to their performance.

“Offensive rebounds and turnovers really hurt us,” Barnes said. “We had a lot of turnovers in the third quarter that led to transition baskets, and those are daggers.”