LOS ANGELES -- UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close wanted to give Lauren Betts her moment.

Sunday night was the last time the Bruins would play at Pauley Pavilion this season, so with No. 1 UCLA up 17 points on Richmond and its ticket to the Sweet 16 punched after another layup from Betts, Close called for one last substitution.

With her final field goal, Betts reached 30 points and -- along with her 14 rebounds -- became the first UCLA player to score 30 points and grab at least 10 boards in an NCAA tournament game. It also marked her first 30-10 game as the Bruins rolled to an 84-67 win.

As she exited with 26 seconds left, the crowd gave Betts a standing ovation. She also added 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, while shooting 14 of 17 from the field.

"She's an absolute generational player ... an elite player," Close said. "She's incredibly competitive. She affects the game in so many ways on both offense and defense. I mean the list goes on and on."

On a night the Spiders pushed the Bruins -- heading into halftime tied at 36 -- Betts was the difference-maker. When she received the ball in the post, she was swarmed by Richmond defenders but still scored at will.

At 6-foot-8, she creates a mismatch that has been the fulcrum of the Bruins' success this season.

"The scouting report starts with Lauren every time. And so it's really almost an impossible task [to guard her]," Close said. "And our other players are the beneficiary of the attention that she draws every single night."

That was evident against Richmond, which stayed close despite Betts' strong start, scoring 14 points in the first half. Close said she called on Betts at halftime to take over the game with her defense.

"I just told her, 'You're not the national defensive player of the year candidate for just in the post,'" Close said. "'You are really good on the perimeter.'"

The Spiders scored only seven points in the third quarter and never got back into the game. Betts added 16 points in the second half and finished with nine offensive rebounds, but it was the attention she drew that opened shooting lanes for her teammates. UCLA sank eight 3s in the second half.

"Lauren just makes the game easy for everyone on this team," point guard Kiki Rice said. "And I think her ability to shoulder so much weight and just do that on a consistent basis and show up for us every single day is something we really admire."

As if the praise from the Pauley Pavilion crowd was not enough, during Betts' performance Sunday night, former Los Angeles Laker and current broadcaster Mychal Thompson posted on X: "UCLA Center ranking...1)Kareem...2)Walton...3)Lauren Betts..."

UCLA Center ranking...1)Kareem...2)Walton...3)Lauren Betts...

Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) March 24, 2025

When informed of the tweet, a near-speechless Betts expressed gratitude.

"That's crazy," she said. "Thank you."

The Bruins head to Spokane, Washington, searching for redemption after their exit from the NCAA tournament a year ago against LSU in the Sweet 16.

ESPN Research contributed to this report.