LOS ANGELES — After No. 4 UCLA defeated No. 17 USC 80-46 on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb called her team’s 34-point loss an “embarrassment.”

“Obviously, this is not where our team wants to be in a game like this,” Gottlieb said. “I think our team feels it, you know, everything from disappointment to embarrassment. But we own it, and they were a better team today. They were better by a lot. … We’ll get back to work and take it on the chin.”

The Bruins created separation in the second quarter, building a 15-point lead at halftime. Gottlieb said that in the second quarter, her team lost its “will defensively a little bit.”

UCLA senior Lauren Betts finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. With the help of guards Gianna Kneepkens and Kiki Rice, the Bruins moved into first place in the Big Ten conference after Saturday’s win.

Despite her team’s 34-point victory, UCLA coach Cori Close said she felt like the Bruins didn’t play their “best.”

“Offense cannot be where we find our identity,” Close said. “Bottom line is I didn’t think we played well offensively.”

This was the 109th meeting between the Trojans and Bruins. Before Saturday’s game, the all-time series between the schools was tied 54-54.

Gottlieb, who is in her fifth season as USC coach, reflected on her program’s history with UCLA and said that the Trojans knew that they were playing a “really good team” Saturday night.

But she stressed, “Our intention is to not lose any time we come. … What we can learn, we can also be very honest and say this is an embarrassing loss. We didn’t compete well.”

UCLA’s last home win against USC was Dec. 30, 2023, when the Bruins defeated the Trojans 71-64. UCLA is 30-22 at home against USC.

Last season, USC defeated UCLA 80-67 to secure the Big Ten regular-season championship. JuJu Watkins, who remains out this season while recovering from a torn ACL, scored 30 points in that game to lead the Trojans.

But just a week after the Trojans’ victory, UCLA defeated USC 72-67 in the Big Ten women’s basketball championship game, capturing the program’s first conference title since 2006 and eclipsing 30 wins in a season for the first time in program history.

“I’ve been thinking this whole time that the next time we see [UCLA] at home … that game is not going to go like how it went tonight,” USC senior Kara Dunn said Saturday. “… We’re going to be a different team the next time we see them.”