Sea of blue turns rivalry into wipeout

Betts and Bruins' defense shut down Trojans in an 80-46 crosstown drubbing

- BY STEVE GALLUZZO

Photographs by ERIC THAYER Los Angeles Times LAUREN BETTS (51) reacts during a first half in which No. 4 UCLA took over against No. 17 USC. The center finished with an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Protect our home court.

That was the UCLA women's basketball team's New Year's resolution, and in the Bruins' first performance of 2026, they did that in convincing fashion, dominating crosstown rival USC 80-46 Saturday in front of 11,241 fans at Pauley Pavilion.

The latest edition of the “Battle of L.A.” was all blue and gold as UCLA, playing in Westwood for the first time since a 106-44 blowout of Long Beach State on Dec. 20, took command with a 14-0 run midway through the second quarter to notch its eighth straight victory since its only loss to No. 2 Texas in late November.

“Thank you to the crowd for showing up on a rainy day—we appreciate the support,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “We didn't play our best, but we did a great job on the boards. We held them to 27% shooting.

Our defense was better than our offense today. Offense cannot be where we find our identity. Defense and rebounding was our anchor tonight. I'd like to see more consistency and to keep getting closer to our standard." The score was tied 16-16 after the first 10 minutes, but then the Bruins began to assert themselves in the paint.