Lauren Betts led five UCLA players in double figures as the top-seeded Bruins ran away with a 96-43 win over No. 16 seed Cal Baptist with a dominating second half in Sacramento Region 2 first-round action Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Bruins (32-1) led just 44-34 at halftime before outscoring the Lancers 52-9 over the final 20 minutes. Sisters Lauren Betts (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Sienna Betts (10 points, game-high 12 boards) each finished with a double-double, as did Angela Dugalic with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

UCLA utterly dominated the interior with its superior size, outrebounding Cal Baptist 62-21, turning 21 offensive boards into 30 second-chance points and a 54-14 edge in points in the paint. The Bruins shot 50% from the floor and made 21 of 25 free throws (84%).

UCLA next takes on eighth-seeded Oklahoma State on Monday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

The Lancers (23-11), making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in eight seasons as a Division I team, were led by 11 points off the bench from Chance Bucher. Cal Baptist’s five starters were a combined 11 of 45 (24.4%), in line with the team’s 25% shooting from the floor and 20% from 3-point range.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 82, No. 9 Princeton 68

Achol Akot poured in a season-high 28 points on 12-for-15 shooting and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds as the Cowgirls rolled past the Tigers at Los Angeles.

Oklahoma State (24-9) will face UCLA in Monday’s second round after shooting 52.5% from the field in the opening round.

Jaydn Wooten came off the bench for 18 points, Micah Gray posted 16 points and Haleigh Timmer added 10 points for the Cowgirls, who led 48-33 at halftime.

Madison St. Rose had 17 points and Ashley Chea and Skye Belker both had 14 points for ninth-seeded Princeton (26-4). Olivia Hutcherson added 10 points, but the Tigers didn’t have enough strength in the lane to contend with the Cowgirls.

Princeton got within 61-53 by the end of the third quarter and Belker’s 3-pointer supplied the first points of the fourth quarter. Wooten responded with two baskets to ignite a 9-0 run that helped Oklahoma State take its edge to 72-58.

A 35-26 rebounding edge for Oklahoma State included 11 offensive boards.

Akot entered the game averaging less than 12 points per game.

–Field Level Media

Nikita Kucherov scored twice in a four-point performance to lead the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Anthony Cirelli scored twice, Jake Guentzel added a single and Brandon Hagel collected a pair of assists for the Lightning (43-21-4, 90 points), who have won three straight to maintain a hold on the second spot in the Atlantic Division.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves.

Kucherov, who recorded his fifth consecutive road game with three or more points, has collected six goals and six assists in the past three outings. He moved to the top of the NHL’s scoring race with 118 points.

Tampa Bay has won 12 of 14 games this season against Pacific Division clubs.

Connor McDavid and Josh Samanski replied for the Oilers (34-28-9, 77 points), who remain in second place in the Pacific Division despite losing two straight.

Goalie Connor Ingram stopped 22 shots for Edmonton, which opened the scoring but was done in by a trio of second-period goals by the Lightning.

Cirelli evened the score 97 seconds into the middle frame, burying a loose puck during a scramble.

Guentzel’s power-play goal put the Lightning ahead. Upon gaining the puck at the side of the net, he went to the front and sent a shot inside the far post at 12:13.

Right after the Oilers came within a whisker of tying the clash during a 5-on-3 power play, Kucherov made it a 3-1 game by converting a short-handed breakaway upon leaving the penalty box. It is his first career short-handed marker.

Samanski was credited with his first career goal on a crazy play to make it a one-goal game at 7:16 of the third period. During a scrum at the side boards, Tampa Bay’s Oliver Bjordstrand chipped the puck toward his own net. It ricocheted off the stick of Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg and eluded Vasilevskiy.

However, Kucherov quashed those comeback hopes with his second of the game, a quick one-timer from the bottom of the right circle set up by Hagel with 4:28 remaining in regulation.

Cirelli’s empty-net goal sealed the game.

McDavid opened the scoring with 23 seconds remaining in the first period by deflecting Evan Bouchard’s point shot.

–Field Level Media

After its first postseason win since 2014, second-seeded Cal faces Saint Joseph’s in a second-round clash of the NIT’s Albuquerque Region on Sunday night in Berkeley, Calif.

“Someone told me that it had been (over) a decade (since) Cal had had a postseason win, so that’s good to see,” said Cal coach Mark Madsen after his team’s first-round win over UIC Wednesday. “We wanted to be in the NCAA Tournament. We did not play well enough in the course of the season to get in, but I believe that we can do something special in the NIT and it will be a springboard and a catalyst going into next season.”

The Bears (22-11) are in the postseason for the first time since 2017. They won 12 of their first 13 games, but finished ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Dai Dai Ames led Cal with 17.0 points per game and earned a third-team All-ACC honor.

The star of the Bears’ 91-73 win over the Flames was Chris Bell, who had a season-high 31 points and made 7 of 8 3-pointers as Cal rallied from an early nine-point hole.

“Dagger shots when they counted,” said Madsen. ” … Chris is a special player. He’s a special person. His work ethic reminds me of the work ethic of an NBA player.”

The Hawks (23-11) were one of the biggest surprises in the Atlantic-10. Coach Steve Donahue, who joined the staff as an assistant in May, got the head coach job when Billy Lange left for the New York Knicks in September. Donahue rallied the Hawks into third in the conference and was named the 2025-26 A-10 Coach of the Year.

The good vibes continued in the first round of the NIT as the Hawks went on the road to beat No. 3 seed Colorado State 69-64 on Wednesday. It was the school’s first NIT win since 2006, snapping a five-game losing streak.

“This group just has that understanding of not quitting, particularly on the defensive end,” Donahue said after the win to the Rocky Mountain Collegian. “If we make some really bonehead plays, which we did on the offensive end, our ability to stay focused and compete is why we can figure out how to win those one-possession games. It’s all our mental toughness, really.”

Jaiden Glover-Toscano and Deuce Jones lead the Hawks with 15.8 points a game apiece.

–Field Level Media