INDIANAPOLIS — Kiki Rice scored 17 points to lead five UCLA players in double figures, and the second-ranked Bruins won their school-record 24th consecutive game, 72-62 over No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
Conference Player of the Year Lauren Betts and Angela Dugalic each scored 14 points for the top-seeded Bruins (30-1), who led the entire way. Gianna Kneepkens scored 13 points and Gabriela Jaquez added 10 points.
The Bruins will meet No. 9 Iowa in Sunday’s championship game (1:15 p.m., CBS-2).
Chance Gray led the fifth-seeded Buckeyes (26-7) with 23 points, hitting 6 of 11 shots and seven free throws. Jaloni Cambridge added 12 points and Elsa Lemmila had 10 points for the Buckeyes.
Trailing 32-21 at halftime, the closest Ohio State got in the third quarter was seven points at 45-38 with 4:15 left. UCLA led 52-40 after three quarters.
Iowa 59, Michigan 42
Ava Heiden scored 16 points, Hannah Stuelke and Chazadi Wright each had 13 and No. 9 Iowa pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat No. 8 Michigan in the second semifinal.
The second-seeded Hawkeyes outscored the Wolverines 24-6 in the fourth quarter. Stuelke, who also had 10 rebounds, scored seven points in the initial 2:23 of the final quarter to push Iowa ahead 42-38.
That was part of a pivotal 15-2 run. Wright and Taylor Stremlow hit 3s on back-to-back possessions, then Heiden converted a layup for a 50-38 lead. Stremlow had 11 points with three 3s.
The Hawkeyes (26-5) advanced to Sunday’s championship game against defending champion UCLA.
Trailing 13-4 after one quarter, the third-seeded Wolverines rallied. Mila Holloway, who missed her first seven shots, gave Michigan its first lead at 34-33 on a three-point play with 6:08 remaining in the third. Holloway sank a pullup jumper with 37 seconds left to give Michigan a 36-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Michigan (25-6) set a program record for regular-season and conference victories. But their last two losses were to the Hawkeyes, who won 62-44 on Feb. 22 in Iowa City.
— Phillip B. Wilson, Associated Press
