This post was updated Jan. 21 at 10:19 p.m.

While Tuesday night’s match was decided in the final play, Wednesday night’s was decided in the first.

Last night, Pauley Pavilion watched as UCLA men’s basketball upset top-ranked Purdue.

But tonight, an opposite scene played out as No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball (18-1, 8-0 Big Ten) vanquished Purdue (10-10, 2-7) 96-48 by gaining and never relinquishing the lead from the opening play.

“We focused on our deflections and our passion plays,” said coach Cori Close. “It’s a continued lesson for these players, that when they put their mind to something, they can do anything they want.”

The unranked UCLA men’s basketball overcame No. 4 Purdue 69-67 to continue its undefeated home streak Tuesday. Only 24 hours later, the Bruins’ women’s team put down the Boilermakers once again to send Purdue’s program home without a win at Pauley Pavilion, and to extend its undefeated home streak.

Within the first three minutes, the Bruins had cemented a 10-point lead over the Boilermakers.  

“It’s important to note our first three 3-pointers of the game came off of double (teams), triple teams and inside-out passes for Lauren (Betts),” Close said. “And I think that just puts their team on their heels defensively.”

And that surplus only grew into the second quarter, as UCLA halted Purdue’s scoring for the opening three minutes of the second frame. Meanwhile, the Bruins more than doubled the scoring gap, seeing as high as a 29-point lead before the half, led by three players in double-digit scoring.

Seniors guard Kiki Rice and center Lauren Betts had 15 and 10 points, respectively, by the half, nearing their double-digit scoring averages of 16.1 and 15.2 points. Graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens, who averages 13.9 points per game, sank 11 points in the first 20 minutes. 

“I’m really proud of how our guards have been shooting,” Betts said. “It’s just really hard for the teams to guard us when they’re so focused on double teams, triple teams – and we have such threats on the perimeter.”

The double-digit averaging trio is often joined by senior guard Gabriela Jaquez, who averages 14.2 points per game. However, she found early foul trouble with three personals limiting her to only an early-game layup in the first two quarters.

By the half, UCLA had more than doubled Purdue’s score, 46-20.

After coming off the bench to start the second half, Jaquez sank a layup and a pair of 3-pointers to quickly reach double-digit points. 

“I really had to reset after the three fouls,” Jaquez said. “I just went into the locker room, cheered on my teammates, told them good job and tried to take the focus off myself, because it’s not about me, it’s about the team.”

The team and game leading scorers – Betts, Rice, Kneepkens and Jaquez – combined for 52 points of the Bruins’ 68-38 lead entering the final frame. 

And that amount only grew, as Jaquez found a fourth-quarter groove to take the game’s scoring lead. Jaquez neared her season-high 29 points and career-high 30 points with 25 points, going 10-for-11 from the field and 100% from the free throw line, despite being in foul trouble throughout the second half. Of those points, 10 were found in the third quarter and 13 in fourth.

“She just impacts winning on so many different levels,” Close said. “She’s ‘All Gas Gabs’ – that’s what we call her. She’s just added more skill and consistency.”

[Related: UCLA women’s basketball beats Tennessee in near triple-digit season-high showing]

With the Camarillo, California, local’s fourth-quarter surge, the Bruins found a 48-point lead to defeat the Boilermakers.