Lauren Betts and UCLA reach first Final Four of women’s NCAA Tournament, beating LSU 72-65

Lauren Betts had 17 points and seven rebounds despite spending the entire second quarter on the bench, and top overall seed UCLA reached its first Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 72-65 victory over LSU on Sunday.

The 6-foot-7 Betts added six blocks for the Bruins (34-2), who will face the winner of Monday’s game between Southern California and UConn. The Final Four is Friday night in Tampa, Florida.

Gabriela Jaquez had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Bruins and Timea Gardiner finished with 15 points, helping to pick up the slack went Betts went to the bench after committing two first-quarter fouls.

“Credit to my teammates for holding it down while I was out,” Betts said during the trophy ceremony.

UCLA won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women’s basketball, but this was its first NCAA regional final victory in three tries.

LSU senior forward Aneesah Morrow’s nose was bloodied in a collision with teammate Sa’Myah Smith, but she checked back into her final game for the Tigers without any facial protection and finished with 15 points.

Flau’Jae Johnson scored 28 points to lead third-seeded LSU (31-6), which won the national title two years ago under coach Kim Mulkey but has now been eliminated in the last two Elite Eights.

The Tigers closed within 46-41 to start the fourth quarter. Betts’ layup extended the Bruins’ lead to 56-45 with 6:54 to go.

Johnson’s layup got the Tigers within 56-52 with 3:24 left, spurring an “LSU! LSU!” chant from the crowd. But the Tigers couldn’t get closer, and Jaquez made a 3-pointer with 1:30 left that all but sealed the Bruins’ win over the team that eliminated them from last year’s Sweet 16.

“We talk about if Lauren kicks it out, you’ve got to be a ready shooter,” said Jaquez, whose older brother Jaime Jaquez Jr. plays for the Miami Heat after starring at UCLA. “I’ve just got to stay ready at all times. And I knew that was the right shot I needed to take and I have confidence in myself when shooting. I put in the work.”

Betts — a matchup nightmare for any team with her towering stature and skill in the post — was coming off a 31-point, 10-rebound performance in the Sweet 16 and a 30-point, 14-rebound effort in the second round. She’s one of just three players to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 10 boards in the tournament in the last 25 seasons.

“Betts did not beat us,” Mulkey said. “We guarded her as tough as we could. We did not take advantage of her being off the floor in the second quarter, and we allowed perimeter 3s and other people to step up.”

The Bruins jumped out early, but the Tigers had an 13-9 edge going into the second quarter. The Bruins went on a 6-0 run, capped by Gardiner’s 3-pointer, to take a 23-17 lead.

The Bruins held their own without Betts, heading into halftime up 31-25. Gardiner had nine points in the opening half.

“I have full confidence in them,” Betts said of her teammates. “Obviously I’m more mad at myself that I had two fouls. But this is what we’re talking about when we say we have a deep team. I don’t have to be in the game at all times. I have a team full of players that are just amazing and talented in their own right, and put in the work.”

Betts started the second half, extending the Bruins’ lead with a layup. Londynn Jones made it 36-25 with a 3-pointer.

UCLA pushed its lead 14 points before an 8-1 LSU run that closed the gap to 44-37. At one point, UCLA coach Cori Close yelled at her team, “Execute!”

Morrow was hurt with 1:22 left in the third quarter. She was helped off the court with a towel to her face and went to the locker room, but returned to start the fourth. ESPN reported during the game that Morrow’s nose was broken, but she said afterward that it wasn’t.

Wide open

Mulkey pointed out that LSU outrebounded UCLA 43-38, but the Bruins went to the line 20 times as opposed to the Tigers’ 10. But it was shooting that ultimately doomed the Tigers.

“Would have to go back and look at the shots we missed. Just wide-open shots,” Mulkey said, shaking her head.

Well, actually …

Close was quick to point out UCLA’s previous national semifinal appearances in 1978 and ’79, when women’s basketball was governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. Denise Curry and Debbie Haliday, who played on the title-winning team, were in attendance.

“We had some of the alumni here from that team,” Close said. “We had so many other alums, so I just wanted to give them their flowers.”

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