This post was updated March 8 at 9:13 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS – Lauren Betts jumped to her feet off the bench, waving a towel like a lasso.

The celebration would have been warranted after most plays in the Bruins’ nothing-but-dominant performance Sunday afternoon, but the senior center’s cheers were directed at her younger sister, freshman forward Sienna Betts.

The rookie’s co-career-high 14-point night was just a drop in the bucket as No. 1 seed UCLA women’s basketball (31-1, 18-0 Big Ten) steamrolled No. 2 seed Iowa (26-6, 15-3) 96-45 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon, giving the Bruins their second consecutive Big Ten tournament title. The Bruins became the 10th team in Big Ten history to claim both the regular season title and tournament trophy in the same season, doing so with the largest victory margin in conference history. 

“I’m not really surprised because of the amount of work that we’ve done in practice,” Lauren Betts said. “We’ve been competing against ourselves all season and constantly trying to get better every single day. … Everyone came out with a certain level of confidence that I knew we were going to win.”

Iowa limited Michigan First Team All-Big Ten guard Olivia Olson to just two points in the second half of the Big Ten tournament semifinals, and it seemed that its defensive gameplan shifted focus toward UCLA’s leading scorer and Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts.

But even after Iowa center Ava Heiden sent Lauren Betts to the ground – a tussle for a rebound that left Lauren Betts on the floor long enough to stop play – the Hawkeyes’ strategy did not prevail as another Betts took the reins.

Sienna Betts took control of the Bruins’ interior presence. In the four minutes she played across the first quarter, Sienna Betts went 4-for-4 from the field, scoring eight points. 

Coupled with seven points from senior guard Kiki Rice on similar perfect shooting, Sienna Betts’ efforts paved the way for UCLA to jump to an early 11-3 lead that prompted a timeout from Iowa coach Jan Jensen.

“Sienna Betts was probably one of my highlights today, in terms of seeing her joy because I know the battle that she’s been in,” said coach Cori Close. “It’s been hard for her – she has very big expectations for herself.”

The Hawkeyes’ reset proved relatively ineffective in increasing their offensive output, and it was not until late in the second quarter that their shots started falling consistently. 

While Lauren Betts initially struggled to get on the board in the first half, settling for over-the-top attempts that proved less successful than the two baskets she garnered in the paint, her impact was felt on the Bruins’ defensive front. Betts blocked one shot and garnered three steals while limiting Heiden’s impact in the post throughout the game.

The Hawkeyes garnered just four points in the paint in the first half, and mistimed passes coupled with the Bruins’ ability to disrupt passing lanes only further perpetuated the offensive struggles Jensen’s squad faced.

UCLA racked up 15 steals across the game and forced 19 Iowa turnovers, propelled by senior guard Gabriela Jaquez’s three steals in the first quarter alone.

“Being the aggressors and dictating on the defensive end is going to help us. It’s going to get us easier looks on offense, but that’s the foundation. That’s the backbone,” Rice said. “We take pride in the way we defend. We have an anchor in there in the paint, so we always know as guards we put pressure on them but we’ll force them inside to Lauren.”

The Bruins 60% field goal shooting clip across the first half was only bolstered by deep 3-pointers from graduate student guards Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens. Jaquez joined in on the perimeter action to help maintain the Bruins’ 54.5% clip from deep. 

As Heiden heated up and the Hawkeyes’ supporting guards knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, Iowa recovered from its fewest points in a first quarter this season to put together just 20 points by the break. The Bruins were outrebounded in the first half for the second consecutive game, with the Hawkeyes earning the 18-15 edge in the boards battle. 

“We were 0-for-9 on offensive rebound misses at halftime,” Close said. “The danger is, when you’re really efficient offensively, you just think every shot’s going in. And the reality is, on a night that you might not be as hot as we were tonight, you have to have the habits and the discipline to be able to chase offensive rebounds, get another passion play, find easier opportunities, set better screens.”

But by generating zero second-chance points all game, Iowa struggled to convert extended possessions into meaningful plays. 

The last time the two teams met – at Pauley Pavilion’s only top-10 showdown all season Feb. 1 – the Bruins handily beat the Hawkeyes 88-65. Four Iowa players in double-digits was not enough to mount an attack against a UCLA team that shot 57.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. 

[Related: Women’s basketball finds ranked win over Iowa, extending victory streak to 15]

And with the Bruins replicating their equally, if not exceedingly, proficient shooting across the board and the Hawkeyes struggling to match their previous offensive output, the rematch between the teams saw an increased disparity in scoring. 

“That’s what my biggest commitment to this team needed to be this year – is that I needed to hold the standard even when the score or a game might say something different, or someone on the outside might say how good,” Close said.

Production from beyond the arc has been a struggle for UCLA across the tournament weekend. But Sunday was an entirely different story, and the third quarter exemplified the Bruins’ regained rhythm.

Kneepkens’ two second-half 3-pointers helped garner a team-high 19 points. Freshman guard Lena Bilic earned her first points of the tournament off a 3-point basket, and Lauren Betts added a deep 2-point basket into the mix as she resumed her campaign to expand her shooting range.

Hawkeye forward Hannah Stuelke continued to be held silent in the second half after recording zero points in the opening two frames. The absence of Iowa’s second-leading scorer, who helmed her team’s offensive efforts to reach the championship game, was felt offensively. 

Guard Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright instead stepped up for the Hawkeyes to record four rebounds and nine points. 

Even though Gainbridge Fieldhouse is a neutral site, the Indianapolis venue could be considered a home crowd for the Hawkeyes, whose fanbase showed out en masse. 

Gainbridge echoed with I-O-W-A chants that began before the Hawkeyes even took the court, and despite Iowa’s increasingly slim chances of winning, the arena still generated substantial cheers for Heiden’s late-game efforts that resulted in a team-high 15 points.

A 3-pointer from Bilic followed by a steal-layup combination from Rice opened the fourth quarter with the dominant tone that UCLA had maintained for almost the entirety of the game. 

Rice’s lethality in transition, coupled with the continued dominance of Kneepkens on the perimeter, fueled the Bruins to a 63.5% clip from the field.

Coupled with an increased edge of the glass – manifested in the 22 second-half rebounds they reined in compared to the Hawkeyes’ 13 – and double-digit scoring from all five starters and Sienna Betts, the Bruins were vaulted to the 51-point victory – a deficit that eclipsed the Hawkeyes’ total points.

As confetti fell down from the rafters, the song Lauren Betts, Jaquez and Leger-Walker performed to as guest members of the UCLA dance team during the UCLA men’s basketball game Tuesday blasted from the speakers.

“Gabs (Jaquez) looked at me and she was like, ‘They’re playing our music,’” Lauren Betts said. “And we just went for it. We kinda ate, again.”