Betts, No. 1 UCLA push past Southern in March Madness opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lauren Betts had 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, and top-seeded UCLA kicked off its quest for its first Final Four appearance in the women's NCAA Tournament with a 84-46 victory over 16th-seeded Southern in the first round on Friday night.

Londynn Jones scored 11 points for the Bruins (31-2), who are the tourney's top overall seed after spending 13 weeks atop the AP Top 25 and winning the Big Ten tournament last week by knocking off archrival and fellow No. 1 seed Southern California.

The Bruins will face eighth-seeded Richmond on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion for a berth in the Sweet Sixteen. The Spiders routed Georgia Tech 74-49 for their school’s first NCAA Tournament victory behind 30 points and 15 rebounds from Atlantic 10 player of the year Maggie Doogan.

Aniya Gourdine scored 10 points for Southern (21-15), which beat UC San Diego in the First Four on Wednesday to secure this matchup. The Jaguars won the SWAC regular-season and tournament titles during a remarkable season.

But after a long year of spotlights and scrutiny, UCLA was still sharp in its March Madness opener.

The Bruins steadily built a double-digit lead in the first half and a 59-33 advantage after three quarters, allowing coach Cori Close to monitor her starters' minutes for more challenges ahead.

UCLA also was balanced, with eight Bruins scoring at least nine points.

UCLA is in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season and the ninth time in 13 tournaments during Close's tenure. But the Bruins have made just one regional final in those first eight appearances, and a three-weekend tournament run is the last goal they're hoping to add to a lengthy list of accomplishments this season.

The Bruins' size is formidable, particularly against smaller schools: UCLA outrebounded Southern 44-23, and the Jaguars repeatedly saw why Betts, the Bruins' All-American center, was named a finalist for the Naismith defensive player of the year award.

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