Lauren Betts leads No. 2 UCLA past Illinois despite foul trouble

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Lauren Betts overcame early foul trouble to score 23 points and pull down nine rebounds, leading the second-ranked UCLA women’s basketball team to an 80-67 victory over Illinois on Wednesday night.

Betts, the Bruins’ 6-foot-7 AP All-American center, picked up her second and third fouls – the latter on a technical foul – with 1:29 left in the first quarter.

She sat out the rest of the first quarter and the second quarter, returned to the court after halftime, and ended up playing nearly 24 minutes.