Lauren Betts leads UCLA to a season-opening victory over Louisville in Paris
PARIS — Lauren Betts had 18 points and four blocks as No. 5 UCLA beat No. 17 Louisville 66-59 in the second match of a season-opening doubleheader in France on Monday.
Timea Gardiner had 15 points and Londynn Jones contributed 13 for UCLA.
Tajianna Roberts had a game-high 21 points for Louisville, which opened up an 18-13 lead at the end of the first quarter but then proved wasteful in attack.
The Bruins have been eliminated in the Sweet 16 the last two seasons but have the talent and depth to contend for the NCAA tournament title.
Louisville was six of 29 from three-point range compared to eight of 23 for UCLA. Gardiner made five of them and Jones was four of four from the free-throw line.
The 8,000-capacity Adidas Arena, home to the men’s Paris Basketball club, was just over half full for the second game.
Earlier Monday, No. 3 USC scored in the final seconds to beat Mississippi 68-66.
Takeaways
UCLA: The imposing physicality of Betts and Gardiner on defense did much to contain Louisville’s speedy attacks. The standout pair also combined at the other end for Gardiner’s neat three-pointer from wide right late in the game.
Louisville: Louisville had some good scoring bursts but could not sustain them long enough to put UCLA under significant pressure.
Key moment: Betts found Jones with a cross-court pass for a three-pointer on the second-quarter buzzer, as UCLA took a 32-29 halftime lead to stem Louisville’s momentum.
Key stat: 75 — Betts’ shooting percentage, making nine of her 12 shots.
Up next: Louisville has a short turnaround before hosting Southern Indiana on Friday and UCLA is at home against Colgate on Sunday.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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