UCLA women shake off Washington to advance to Big Ten Tournament semifinal

With an earlier-than-normal noon tipoff in its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game, the No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team got a second wakeup call Friday.

The top-seeded Bruins overcame a sluggish start in their tournament opener to pull away from a pesky Washington squad for a 78-60 victory in Indianapolis and advance to Saturday’s semifinal.

UCLA came into the game riding a 22-game winning streak and looking to defend its conference tournament title, won last year against crosstown rival USC.