This post was updated Feb. 1 at 9:16 p.m.

The backboard flashed red as graduate student Gianna Kneepkens’ deep shot hung in the air.

As the ball fell comfortably through the net, a roar engulfed the sea of blue – speckled with Hawkeye gold – that filled the stands of Pauley Pavilion. 

Kneepkens’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer sent the Bruins into halftime with a double-digit lead they never relinquished, powering No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (21-1, 11-0 Big Ten) past No. 8 Iowa (18-4, 9-2) for a 88-65 victory Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. The conference showdown was the Bruins’ highest-ranked matchup since losing to No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26.

“The target is not on our backs, we have the target on other people,” said graduate student forward Angela Dugalić. “We’re going to these gyms, these arenas and people are coming to see us. They want to see a show, so we’re going to give them a show.”

Dugalić proved to be UCLA’s spark Sunday. The fifth-year logged a career-high 22 points off 69.2% shooting from the field and 75% shooting from deep.

Dugalić stepped up to lead the Bruins’ frontcourt, a role she frequents as coach Cori Close’s go-to off the bench, after senior center Lauren Betts picked up her fourth foul. Freshman forward Sienna Betts contributed on the interior as well, posting seven points and a team-high seven rebounds.

“A point of emphasis for us (is) to always get the ball inside,” Lauren Betts said. “We have a really amazing post presence.”

Sunday afternoon marked the second consecutive game where Lauren Betts found herself in foul trouble. The reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year committed three fouls by the second quarter in Wednesday’s road game against Illinois, resulting in her being benched for large portions of the game.

Amid the absence of their leading scorer in Lauren Betts, the Bruins struggled to find the confident footing that has led them to an undefeated conference record, recording their smallest margin of victory against an unranked opponent all season Wednesday.

Coach Cori Close seemingly learned from the earlier matchup, opting to keep Lauren Betts in the game even after she picked up her third personal foul in the third quarter.

“I knew that they wanted to play through their posts, and so if we had someone else who could come in and do a really great job and not take that risk, I thought it was prudent in this style of game that I do that,” Close said. “But I really do trust Lauren in that she knows how to make those adjustments to keep herself out of foul trouble.”

Fouls plagued both teams, though, and the Hawkeyes’ leading scorer – center Ava Heiden – committed four personals. Heiden logged 19 points Sunday on 7-for-12 shooting from the field while making all five of her free throws. 

Five Hawkeye turnovers to the Bruins’ three in the first quarter helped cement the home team’s early 17-13 lead. Graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker – the Bruins’ assist leader this season with 5.8 per game – recorded four points and two rebounds in the first quarter.

The aggressive nature of the foul-plagued game showed up early, and an elbow to graduate student Angela Dugalić’s face in the second quarter was upgraded to a flagrant foul on Hawkeye forward Hannah Stuelke. Senior guard Kiki Rice – an 89.8% free throw shooter – downed the shots for Dugalić, spurring a six-point scoring run that carried UCLA into the break with an 11-point lead.

While the Bruins notched a 57.8% shooting clip in the paint, they struggled from midrange and deep. Lauren Betts missed multiple jumpers, and the team netted just two 3-pointers in the first half. 

Dugalić emerged as the Bruins’ most reliable shooter in her career-high scoring night, and amid a quiet night from the team’s guards, the graduate student went 3-for-4 from the 3-point line.

“I pride myself … on being all-around super selfless,” Dugalić said. “It doesn’t really matter whose night it is, we’re trying to find each other. …  You have to have this balance of post presence but also guard presence, and we’re still trying to find that balance.”

The then-No. 3 Bruins almost conceded what would have been their biggest upset loss last season when they eked out a 2-point win over the Hawkeyes in February 2025. 

Sunday was a different story.

[Related: Bruins narrowly evade upset in 2-point win over Iowa by UCLA women’s basketball]

UCLA continued its undefeated conference run with the 23-point victory and will attempt to extend it in Wednesday’s game against Rutgers.

“The depth of this conference is spectacular,” Close said. “Every night I get a chance to get better as a coach, because everybody’s going to challenge us so well.”