Rare Double-doubles: Betts Sisters Shine During Ucla's Ncaa Tournament Run

With conscionable complete 5 minutes near successful UCLA’s first-round triumph complete California Baptist connected Saturday, freshman Sienna Betts took a shot. She missed. She grabbed nan rebound. She missed again. Then, she put it successful nan basket.

On nan bench, her older sister, Lauren Betts, was laughing. No. 1 seed UCLA was up large late, nan Bruins were going to beforehand and Lauren was getting joyousness from seeing her sister win — and fail.

“I’m like, Sienna, conscionable make nan shot, and she’s laughing; she’s not serious,” Lauren said.

The sisters recorded double-doubles during nan 96-43 triumph that secured nan Bruins a second-round day pinch Oklahoma State. Sienna had 10 points and 12 rebounds, six of them offensive, and Lauren had 22 points and 10 rebounds.

UCLA freshman guardant Sienna Betts plays tight defense connected California Baptist defender Sofia Alonso during nan Bruins’ first information NCAA tourney triumph Sunday astatine Pauley Pavilion.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

“She is truthful difficult connected herself and she’s truthful driven, I deliberation her joke is really a redeeming grace for her,” UCLA coach Cori Close said of Sienna. “It’s benignant of a ray moment. It’s laughter. Because erstwhile she’s not smiling and bringing joy, she’s usually beating herself up for a mistake. As she continues to turn successful that, I dream it doesn’t person to beryllium her escape, but I conscionable person perfectly enjoyed Sienna truthful much.”

The sisters person only this play to play together earlier Lauren, a senior, graduates. They played conscionable 1 play together successful precocious schoolhouse successful Colorado, and this play mightiness beryllium nan past clip they are ever connected nan aforesaid team.

“It’s this weird thing, connected nan 1 hand, I want them to bask this relationship they have,” Close said. “I want them to bask this year. They will look backmost connected this twelvemonth and conscionable really wealth it.

“Simultaneously, I want to particularly dainty Sienna connected her ain journey, and to not make her consciousness for illustration she’s successful nan shadows of thing that Lauren is doing.”

Sisters person posted double-doubles successful nan NCAA tourney before. At Stanford, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike did it aggregate times successful nan early 2010s. In nan 1980s, USC twins Pamela and Paula McGee averaged double-double their elder years.

But it’s a rarity, and 1 that could only hap this play for nan UCLA sisters.

Sienna, though, didn’t want to make a large woody of it. Sitting to nan broadside successful nan locker room aft nan triumph complete California Baptist, she was captious of her ain game, conscionable nan measurement Close expected.

“I’m trying to attraction much connected conscionable that crippled and conscionable taking what we tin study from our mistakes successful nan first half, especially, and trying to move on,” Sienna said. “But, I mean, I deliberation successful an hour, I’ll return that successful and beryllium much excited astir that.”

Lauren said she thought Sienna played 1 of her amended games of nan season.

“Honestly, too her scoring, I thought her defense was a batch amended coming and I cognize that’s thing she wanted to get amended at,” Lauren said Saturday. “She was conscionable really proud of her slides. Like she didn’t opportunity thing astir her points. She was like, I’m truthful gladsome that I tin defender them. I worked truthful difficult connected that.”

Sienna has had back-to-back beardown efforts, pinch 14 points against Iowa successful nan Big Ten tourney title crippled 2 weeks ago. She has done truthful without being hounded by her large sister.

“I deliberation [Lauren] respects my bound to fig it retired connected my own,” she said.

Lauren, meanwhile, has averaged 16.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per title this season. The projected WNBA lottery prime is considered 1 of nan champion centers successful nan nation.

UCLA halfway Lauren Betts drives to nan handbasket nether unit from California Baptist guardant Grace Schmidt during nan NCAA tourney connected Saturday astatine Pauley Pavilion.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

“I emotion nan moments you drawback erstwhile they person a relationship and an oculus interaction aliases a grin that is different than everybody other because they are sharing it arsenic sisters and I conscionable deliberation really typical that is,” Close said. “That’s truthful wonderful.”

Charlisse Leger-Walker played pinch her sister, Krystal Leger-Walker, astatine Washington State for 2 seasons. There, nan duo shared clip successful nan backcourt for an up-and-coming Cougars squad.

“It’s conscionable a different connection,” Charlisse Leger-Walker said. “Out there, you person personification who is your humor and unconditional emotion and support. And it’s conscionable awesome to beryllium capable to spot [Lauren and Sienna] successful their journey, and person truthful overmuch occurrence early.”

Sienna will transportation nan torch for nan Bruins beyond this play erstwhile nan mostly of nan seasoned roster graduates and galore spell pro.

That’s erstwhile she could beryllium nan look of nan programme connected her own. But first, she is moving to widen an NCAA tourney tally alongside her sister.

“I want Sienna to consciousness for illustration she’s Sienna,” Close said. “She’s not Lauren’s sister. She tin bask that, but for our team, she’s Sienna Betts.”