The first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship meeting between two of the conference’s newest members delivered all the intensity expected from a crosstown rivalry.
No. 2 seed UCLA Bruins erased a 13-point deficit, defeating the top-seeded USC Trojans 72-67 March 9 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
With the win, the Bruins captured their first-ever Big Ten Conference title.
Powered by Lauren Betts’ dominant performance, the Bruins (30-2) locked up their 30th win of the season, a program record. Betts finished with 17 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting, adding five rebounds, four blocks and four steals.
Her second-half surge proved climacteric as the Bruins completed their rally against a USC team that bested them twice in regular season play.
“We knew we were going to win this tournament, and no one was going to deny us from that,” Betts said postgame. “I think that just the work that was done in the dark showed today.”
A tale of two halves
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
USC (28-3) came out swinging, establishing control with an early 12-0 run. Trojan standout JuJu Watkins was electric in the first half, pouring in 18 of her game-high 29 points before the break. A three-pointer by Avery Howell at the buzzer gave the Trojans a 45-35 halftime lead, seemingly setting the stage for their second-straight conference tournament title, albeit in a different league.
The Bruins, nevertheless, responded with nothing but clamps in the second half, holding USC to just 22 points in the final 20 minutes. UCLA forced 19 turnovers, scoring 17 points off USC’s blunders. Betts and Kiki Rice (13 points, eight assists) orchestrated the comeback, with Rice’s steady playmaking and Betts’ interior presence proving too much for the Trojans to handle.
“We just said we’re going to find a way,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said. “There was no panic. They had great poise, and they did it with defense.”
Turning the tide in 2025 Big Ten Championship
With a score of 48-35 early in the third frame, the Bruins’ defense rose to the occasion. A jumper from Janiah Barker in the fourth quarter gave UCLA its first lead of the game at 56-54, a lead it never relinquished.
While Watkins continued attacking, USC struggled to generate offense outside its star guard. Kiki Iriafen, named to the All-Tournament Team alongside Watkins and Betts, finished with 10 points but was limited to just two in the latter half.
“Of course, it’s always hard playing a team three times, especially twice in eight days,” Watkins said. “We were excited for this game, but we struggled in the second half.”
The Trojans’ legs left them, as fatigue was apparent in the final frame. USC missed 15 straight shots for 11 minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters.
Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb acknowledged the challenge of playing three games in three days but credited UCLA’s ability to execute down the stretch.
“It was a heavyweight fight, and I think both teams brought the intensity level for sure,” Gottlieb said. “We just had one bad half of basketball.”
Bruins been balling
For UCLA, the win is historic, marking its second-ever conference tournament title and solidifying its standing as one of the top teams heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Betts was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, adding another milestone in the Bruins’ first season in the Big Ten Conference.
With both teams expected to be high seds in the NCAA Tournament, this may not be the last time the Bruins and Trojans meet in a high-stakes game this season.
“This puts us in a great place mentally,” Londynn Jones said. “We gave it all we had for 40 minutes and that’s the most important thing. We just have to continue that into March Madness.”
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
