UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) reacts after scoring and drawing a foul during the first half against LSU in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
For the first time in program history, UCLA is heading to the Final Four. The No. 1 overall-seeded Bruins outlasted a comeback from LSU to earn a 72-65 win and dash the Tigers’ dreams of making it to Tampa.
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LSU struck first, but UCLA outscored the Tigers 22-12 in the second quarter to build up a solid lead at halftime. Betts found herself in early foul trouble, and missed the entire second quarter. But with their star on the bench, Betts’ teammates stepped up: Timea Gardiner and Gabriela Jacquez went off, especially from beyond the arc.
The Bruins went up by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, but a second-half surge from LSU — led by stars Aneesah Morrow and Flau’jae Johnson — cut into UCLA’s lead.
Morrow exited the game with a broken nose in the third quarter and returned shortly afterwards, playing without a mask. But even with the injury, Morrow and Johnson looked nearly unstoppable in the final quarter.
For a while, free throws were the only thing that kept UCLA on top: The Bruins went on a long field goal drought in the final minutes of the game. But a massive three-pointer from junior guard Gabriela Jacquez brought UCLA’s lead to seven points with just over a minutes left.
LSU kept fighting back, with Johnson leading the charge. Morrow fouled out with less than 30 seconds left, ending her college career with a 15-point, seven-rebound performance and powering through a broken nose.
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Johnson, who had 24 second-half points, could not lift LSU over the Bruins on her own. Time ticked down as UCLA secured the seven-point win.
Now it’s on to the Final Four to play the winner of UConn-USC.