LOS ANGELES — Timea Gardiner scored a career-high 23 points, including 15 in the first quarter, and No. 5 UCLA routed Arkansas 101-52 on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.
Gardiner, an Oregon State transfer, made a career-best seven 3-pointers. Lauren Betts added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Bruins (4-0).
Izzy Higginbottom scored 15 points to lead Arkansas (3-2), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
The Bruins raced to a 15-3 lead, with Gardiner hitting three consecutive 3-pointers. The Razorbacks got within three before UCLA took off again, closing the first quarter on a 15-4 spurt.
UCLA gave up 13 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth.
WELCOME BACK
UCLA’s Kiki Rice made her season debut and was scoreless in 11 minutes with two rebounds and one assist after missing the first three games with a shoulder injury sustained in a preseason practice.
Key moment
The Razorbacks were outscored 27-9 in the second quarter, with Higginbottom accounting for all their points. Vera Ojenuwa, who at 6-foot-4 was the tallest starter, picked up her third foul early in the period, leaving Arkansas without someone to challenge the 6-7 Betts, who went on to score 10 points and help the Bruins lead 57-25 at halftime.
crashing the boards
The Bruins dominated the boards, 65-27, including a 29-7 edge on the offensive glass. Angela Dugalic had a career-high 15 rebounds and Janiah Barker had 12.