No. 25 Huskers Fall to No. 4 UCLA

Lincoln - Amiah Hargrove scored 12 points off the bench to lead five Huskers in double figures, but it was not enough to stop No. 25 Nebraska from falling to No. 4 UCLA on Sunday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska slipped to 14-3 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten with its third loss to a top-20 conference opponent, while UCLA improved to 15-1 and 5-0 in the league.

Logan Nissley contributed 11 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting for the Big Red, while Jessica Petrie, Eliza Maupin and Callin Hake each contributed 10 points. Petrie added five rebounds and two blocks, while Hake pitched in two assists and drew two charges.

All-American and Preseason Big Ten Player-of-the-Year Lauren Betts led six Bruins in double figures with game highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-7 senior center added game highs of five steals and four blocks to slow down the high-powered Nebraska offense. 

Gianna Kneepkens added 16 points and six assists while hitting 3-of-6 threes, and Charlisse Leger-Walker helped close out the UCLA victory with 14 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting. The former All-American at Washington State added seven rebounds and four assists.

Freshman Sienna Betts contributed 12 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Kiki Rice added 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Gabriela Jaquez closed out the Bruins in double figures with 11 points.

UCLA led 17-11 after one quarter, before pushing the lead to 37-25 at halftime. The margin grew to 20 points at 61-41 after three quarters, before Petrie and Nissley combined for all 11 points in an 11-3 fourth-quarter surge for the Huskers to cut the lead to 72-56 with 3:26 left. UCLA then answered with its biggest run of the game, an 11-0 spurt in the next two minutes that included two three-pointers from Leger-Walker and a third triple from Rice.

The Bruins held Nebraska to a season-low 61 points by limiting the Huskers to a season-low 37.7 percent (20-53) shooting from the field. NU hit 6-of-18 threes and 15-of-18 free throws, but lost the possession game 67-53.

UCLA outworked the Huskers on the glass, 43-28, and won the turnover battle, 17-16. The Bruins hit 47.8 percent (32-67) of their shots, including 9-of-24 threes. They also hit 10-of-13 free throws.

Nebraska hits the road to face another top-20 Big Ten foe on Thursday, when the Huskers take on No. 15 Michigan State. Tip-off with the Spartans in East Lansing is set for 6 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage from the Big Ten Network. The game also can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com and the Huskers App.