LOS ANGELES — Lauren Betts scored 22 points, Kiki Rice added 16 and No. 3 UCLA pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 70-55 victory over No. 25 Illinois on Thursday night.
Adalia McKenzie scored 18 points and Berry Wallace 13 for Illinois, which had its eight-game winning streak snapped. The Illini lost their first game since reentering the AP Top 25 poll on Monday for the first time since early in the season.
Betts, who missed Sunday’s 75-69 victory over No. 22 Michigan State due to a right foot injury, blocked six shots, giving her a single-season school record 67. Monique Billings had 66 during the 2016-17 season.
Betts, a junior, was 9 of 18 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds in 34 minutes.
UCLA (25-1, 13-1) is a half-game behind USC for first place in the Big Ten. With three regular-season games remaining, the Bruins are close to wrapping up a double-bye for the conference tournament. Illinois (21-6, 11-5) is tied with Maryland for fourth place. The top four teams get a double-bye.
The Illini trailed by 15 points early in the second half before rallying to pull within 48-44 with 6:55 remaining on Bryant’s 3-pointer. But UCLA put it out of reach with eight straight points, including five from Rice.
Takeaways
Illinois: The Illini came into the game leading the Big Ten in free-throw percentage at 79.8% but were 9 of 16, including 1 of 5 in the first half.
UCLA: This was the Bruins’ eighth victory over a ranked team this season.
Key moment
Illinois trailed 40-28 before going on a 11-4 run over the last four minutes of third quarter to draw within four going into the final 10 minutes. McKenzie had seven points during the rally.
Key stat
The Bruins had a 46-24 advantage on points in the paint.
Up next
Both teams have road games Sunday. Illinois plays at No. 4 USC while UCLA travels to Iowa.