In a decisive matchup on Tuesday night, the top-ranked UCLA Bruins dominated the Purdue Boilermakers with an impressive 83-49 victory in West Lafayette. Lauren Betts shone with 17 points and seven rebounds in just 22 minutes of play, while Timea Gardiner contributed significantly off the bench with 16 points.
UCLA’s head coach, Cori Close, managed her players effectively by ensuring plenty of rest for her starters. The most time any player logged was 25 minutes, as the Bruins contested their second game in a four-day span. This victory against Purdue marks a rare achievement, as UCLA successfully defeated both Purdue and Indiana on their home courts, maintaining their unbeaten record of 16-0 and a 5-0 standing in the Big Ten.
Destini Lombard was the leading scorer for the Boilermakers, finishing with 16 points as her team fell to 7-8 overall and 0-4 in conference play. Both Rashunda Jones and McKenna Layden added eight points each for Purdue. However, the game felt one-sided from the start, with the Bruins quickly establishing control by scoring the first 13 points and maintaining a steady lead throughout the night, even in a venue that honors former Purdue superstar and UCLA men’s basketball legend John Wooden.
Several takeaways emerged from this matchup. For UCLA, the trip proved to be a dream scenario; the team had already secured a double-digit win against the Hoosiers two days prior, enjoyed an outing at an NBA game that same weekend, and successfully navigated through a snowstorm without any issues. On the other hand, Purdue coach Katie Gearlds finds herself in her fourth year of a rebuilding phase, yet the Boilermakers are still seeking their first conference win. This has been particularly challenging, as all four league losses have come against ranked opponents, with a tough schedule ahead featuring even more Top 25 teams.
A key moment of the game occurred early on when UCLA jumped to a quick 10-0 lead, prompting a timeout from Coach Gearlds just 97 seconds into the contest. Unfortunately for Purdue, this strategic move did little to change the game’s momentum. By the end of the first quarter, the score was a commanding 29-15 in favor of the Bruins, and they never looked back.
One noteworthy statistic from the game was UCLA’s dominance in the paint, where they outscored Purdue 40-12. This advantage in scoring contributed to a significant disparity in shooting percentages, with the Bruins recording a field goal percentage of 53.2%, compared to Purdue’s 33.3%.
Looking ahead, UCLA will return to their home court to face Northwestern on Sunday, while Purdue gears up to host No. 25 Michigan on Saturday.
