Two weeks ago, the Galen Center played host to the battle for Los Angeles.

And in front of a sold-out crowd, the Bruins were handed their first loss of the season.

But after four consecutive wins, including two ranked victories, UCLA has a chance to avenge its defeat to its crosstown rival – this time on its home court.

In the second iteration of the battle for LA, No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (28-1, 16-1 Big Ten) returns to Pauley Pavilion from a two-game road trip to face No. 4 USC (26-2, 16-1) on Saturday. The affair marks the Bruins’ regular-season finale.

“We take it one game at a time,” said junior forward Timea Gardiner. “We key in on what we need to do in the moment and on getting better as a team.”

The Trojans outscored the Bruins 24-8 in the fourth quarter of their last meeting, putting the finishing touches on an 11-point upset. USC guard and National Player of the Year candidate JuJu Watkins led her team in four major statistical categories with 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and eight blocks. Watkins played all but one minute of the contest and went 6-for-9 from 3-point land.

The Big Ten conference leader in points per game has helped her team to its greatest winning percentage since the 1982-1983 season. USC’s only losses of the season came against then No. 6 Notre Dame and Iowa.

On the opposite side of the hardwood, UCLA’s National Player of the Year candidate – junior center Lauren Betts – recorded a double-double of her own against USC, scoring 18 points alongside 13 rebounds. Betts, who has shot 62.9% from the field on the season – the second-highest mark in the Big Ten – cashed in on just 38.5% of her shot attempts at the Galen Center.

Betts averaged 23.3 points on 69% shooting over the team’s last three games following its loss to USC. In just 24 minutes of play against Wisconsin, Betts scored a team-high 26 points on 11-for-12 shooting from the field alongside 10 rebounds.

“I was able to get really deep post seals,” Betts said. “That’s something that I work on in practice and my coaches continue to challenge me to do.”

The tallest members of the Trojans’ starting lineup, 6-foot-4 center/forward Rayah Marshall and 6-foot-3 forward Kiki Iriafen, will each be tasked with guarding the 6-foot-7 Betts. On the other side of the court, Iriafen – who averages 18.2 points per game – may be guarded by several different UCLA bigs, including Gardiner, Betts and graduate student forward Angela Dugalić. The Bruins limited Iriafen to 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting last time around.

UCLA’s starting point guard, junior guard Kiki Rice, scored her 1,200th collegiate point in the team’s win over Wisconsin. The second overall recruit from the class of 2022 is also ranked fourth in the Big Ten conference with 4.4 assists per game.

“Something we’re going to need going into March is our guard play,” said coach Cori Close. “Making not only for themselves but creating for our great shooters.”

The contest will decide the winner of the Big Ten regular season title and determine seeding for the Big Ten tournament.

The Bruins tip off against the Trojans at 6 p.m. Saturday.