LOS ANGELES — Monique Billings had 16 points and eight rebounds to help No. 10 UCLA rout Hawaii 72-49 on Sunday for its 17th consecutive victory at Pauley Pavilion.
LOS ANGELES — Monique Billings had 16 points and eight rebounds to help No. 10 UCLA rout Hawaii 72-49 on Sunday for its 17th consecutive victory at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA (6-1) raced to a 19-2 run, and Billings scored 12 of those points — mostly inside the paint. The Bruins led 21-3 after the first quarter. Hawaii (2-6) missed 10 of 11 shots in the period.
Billings also had three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Hawaii (2-6) had great trouble setting up plays offensively and breaking UCLA’s fullcourt press. Guard Sarah Toeaina led the Rainbow Wahine with 16 points, and Briana Harris had 10 points, all in the second half.
Nicole Kornet hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter to give UCLA a 45-17 lead at halftime. The Bruins had as much as a 33-point lead in the third quarter.
BIG PICTURE
Hawaii played back-to-back Top-10 opponents in Mississippi State and UCLA, giving it an opportunity to test its mettle against the country’s best. Hawaii must work on breaking a fullcourt press and its interior defense.
UCLA didn’t get much out of the game except that it throttled an opponent it was expected to and continued its home dominance at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins have 21 straight wins over unranked teams at home.
UP NEXT
Hawaii returns home and is off for a week before hosting Hawaii Pacific on Dec. 11. Then it’s back to its usual schedule logging plenty of air miles as it plays at Nevada and Boise State.
UCLA is off for another week before it hosts Michigan on Dec. 11. After that, the Bruins play three consecutive road games — at UC Santa Barbara, South Carolina and North Carolina AT&T.