Husker Women Fall At #1 UCLA 91-54

Los Angeles - Nebraska was in a possession game with No. 1 UCLA throughout the first half, but the Bruins clamped down defensively in the second half and ran away with a 91-54 win over the Huskers on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.

Freshman forward Amiah Hargrove scored 12 points to lead Nebraska, which slipped to 10-3 and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Junior Callin Hake added nine points for the Huskers, including seven straight late in the first quarter.

UCLA improved to 13-0 and 2-0 in the Big Ten by outscoring Nebraska 54-24 in the second half, including 31-13 in the third quarter. The lopsided final came after the Huskers took a 24-23 lead on a Britt Prince three-pointer with 5:32 left in the second quarter. UCLA called timeout and scored off a set play to regain the lead, before Alexis Markowski scored to put the Big Red back up 26-25 with 4:58 left in the half.

From that point, UCLA erupted on a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 37-26 lead. The Huskers responded with back-to-back baskets from Jessica Petrie and Allison Weidner to close the half. 

The Huskers trailed 37-30 at halftime, but the Bruins burst out of the locker room on an 8-0 run with the first five points coming from Kiki Rice. She finished with a game-high 18 points, including UCLA's first seven points in the game and four points during the decisive 12-0 run in the second quarter.

Lauren Betts led UCLA with 21 points and eight rebounds on the day, including six points during UCLA's 12-0 second-quarter run.

Timea Gardiner added 15 points off the bench, while Londynn Jones contributed 11 points.

UCLA hit 55.9 percent (33-59) for the game, but just 4-of-17 threes (.235). The Bruins knocked down 21-of-28 free throws and dominated the boards, 48-18. Nebraska hit just 33.3 percent (19-57) from the floor and just 3-of-19 threes (.158), while going 13-for-22 at the line. The Huskers won the turnover battle, 26-19.

The Huskers complete their two-game West Coast road trip by battling No. 4 USC on Wednesday. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Trojans on New Year's Day at the Galen Center in Los Angeles is set for 2 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage by the Big Ten Network. Live radio coverage will be available from the Huskers Radio Network, including Huskers.com.