Kiki Rice’s 17 points led five players in double figures as top-seeded UCLA won its 24th consecutive game, dispatching fifth-seeded Ohio State 72-62 in Saturday’s first Big Ten tournament semifinal in Indianapolis.
Lauren Betts finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, Gianna Kneepkens scored 13 points and Angela Dugalic came off the bench to produce 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks for the second-ranked Bruins (30-1), who will take on Iowa in the title game.
Chance Gray shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range en route to a game-high 23 points for the 11th-ranked Buckeyes (26-7). Jaloni Cambridge provided 12 points, five assists and four rebounds, but shot 4 of 14 from the floor.
UCLA never trailed on its way to a second consecutive Big Ten title game, but the Bruins had to hold off a furious Ohio State rally in the fourth quarter.
Trailing by as many as 16 points, the Buckeyes chipped away to pull within seven points with 1:24 left. UCLA point guard Charlisse Leger-Walker fouled out during Ohio State’s comeback push, but Rice and Gabriel Jaquez (10 points) helped handle primary ball-handling duties to counter the Buckeyes’ full-court pressure defense.
No. 9 Iowa 59, No. 8 Michigan 42
The second-seeded Hawkeyes closed the second of Saturday’s Big Ten Conference semifinals on a 19-4 run to power past the third-seeded Wolverines and into Sunday’s championship round versus UCLA.
Iowa (26-5) held a 40-38 lead in what was a tight contest most of the way after Michigan recovered from an initial 9-0 hole. The Hawkeyes blew the game open over the final eight minutes with a combination of overwhelming defense — holding the Wolverines (25-6) to just six fourth-quarter points — and a trio of crucial 3-pointers.
Taylor Stremlow scored six of her 11 points on a pair of deep triples during Iowa’s game-ending 19-4 run. She was one of four Hawkeyes to score in double figures, led by Ava Heiden with 16 points.
Mila Holloway and Olivia Olson each scored 10 points for Michigan, which shot just 16-of-59 from the floor.
–Field Level Media
