Report: UCLA women’s basketball star Lauren Betts returning for 2025-26 season

UCLA junior Lauren Betts will return for the 2025-26 season, per ESPN. Betts is having a breakout season, averaging 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting an astounding 64% from the field.

Betts was projected to be a Top-5 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft before her announcement. On Friday, Betts explained her decision to commit to returning next season.

“College is the best years of your life, and so I don’t think I’d ever give that up,” Betts said. “Why not be spoiled for a whole another year? The way the coaches take care of us in this program, like, how comfortable I am here, and I think that the friendships I’ve created — I’d want to do that for another year.”

UCLA’s treatment of its players is paying off this season. The Bruins are 22-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country. Most recently, UCLA downed No. 8 Ohio State 65-52 on Wednesday.

In the win, Betts tallied 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks on 8-13 shooting. The win officially marked the longest winning streak in school history, eclipsing the 21 straight wins during UCLA’s 1977-78 season.

While Betts is more than happy to secure the regular-season record, she has her eye on something bigger this season.

“I want to win a national championship, obviously, if not this year, then obviously next year, but hopefully we could just do it both times,” Betts said.

Betts also admitted that her return is partially due to her sister joining the Bruins next season. Betts’ sister, Sienna, is a 6-foot-4 standout and committed to the Bruins in November.

It’s a new era at UCLA and not just because of the Bruins’ unprecedented success. This season is UCLA women’s basketball’s first in the Big Ten. In January, Lauren Betts revealed the biggest adjustments she’s had to make in the new conference.

“Besides the travel,” Betts said with a laugh, “I think just making sure that perimeter-wise, I think every single team that we play, they have so many amazing shooters. and I think for taller players, like me and the other forwards, I think just making sure that defensively, we can switch out any guard, no matter who they are throughout the game.

“It’s made us elevate our game a lot. And I think just defensively, having to communicate through that a little bit more has definitely made our team a lot better.”