(28-2) rebound from the loss to the Trojans in a game that decided the Big Ten regular-season title.

UCLA will face third-seeded Ohio State (25-5), which edged 11th-seeded Iowa, 60-59, today at 2:30 p.m. PT. UCLA beat the Buckeyes, 65-52, last month at Pauley Pavilion.

Britt Prince had 24 points and Alexis Markowski scored 11 for Nebraska (21-11), which was playing its third game in three days but repeatedly charged back every time it appeared UCLA was about to take control.

UCLA players called a meeting the morning after the USC game to discuss how they needed to improve, and Rice said the team responded with one of its best practices in weeks, but they were not at their best against Nebraska.

Even with Betts and Jaquez combining for 27 points in the first half, the Cornhuskers took a 39-38 lead late in the second quarter on a Prince 3-pointer. Betts gave the Bruins a halftime lead by scoring on a putback then blocking a shot by Markowski with four seconds left.

“Honestly, my main focus is to just disrupt people’s offense,” Betts said. “I wanted to make it as difficult as possible for them. Obviously, Markowski, she’s a great player and a lot of respect to her. I wanted to make it as difficult for them as possible tonight knowing that’s their go-to player.”

The Bruins, who shot just 6 for 29 from 3-point range, struggled to pull away until breaking a 47-47 tie early in the third quarter with a 13-2 run. They finally sealed it with seven straight points to make it 71-60 with 5:36 to play.

The Bruins held a 16-8 offensive rebounding edge and outscored Nebraska 17-6 in second-chance points.