{"id":687111,"date":"2026-03-28T04:46:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T04:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/687111\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T04:46:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T04:46:30","slug":"ncaa-tournament-ucla-women-defeat-minnesota-to-reach-elite-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/687111\/","title":{"rendered":"NCAA tournament: UCLA women defeat Minnesota to reach Elite Eight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Once again, it wasn\u2019t a blowout from start to finish, but victory also wasn\u2019t much of a question for the UCLA<\/a> women\u2019s basketball team on Friday.<\/p>\n

The Bruins led by five at halftime against Big Ten foe and No. 4 seed Minnesota in a Sweet 16 match at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, but even not playing their best, UCLA was too much for the Golden Gophers to handle in the second half.<\/p>\n

UCLA pulled away in the third quarter to take down a scrappy Minnesota squad 80-56<\/a> and advance to its second consecutive Elite Eight behind a gritty defensive performance on a night where the Bruins\u2019 shooting was just a little off. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we started to feed off of us getting stops,\u201d UCLA coach Cori Close said<\/a>. \u201cThen when we got rewarded in transition a little bit more, that helped us as well. But I\u2019m way more pleased how we adjusted defensively. I did not think it was one of our best offensive games.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA center Lauren Betts celebrates against Minnesota in the first half Friday.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

UCLA will face No. 3 seed Duke (27-8) on Sunday at noon PDT for a spot in the Final Four. The game will air nationally on ABC. The Bruins beat the Blue Devils 89-59 on Nov. 27.<\/p>\n

Kiki Rice<\/a> led the Bruins with 21 points and Angela Dugalic<\/a> nabbed her second double-double of the tournament with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lauren Betts<\/a> added 16 points and matched her season high with five blocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just coming out with a mentality that you\u2019re just going to take away what they want to do,\u201d Betts said. \u201cYou can talk about little details that we made. But I think it all starts with just that aggressive mentality that we were just going to come out and make things really hard for them, and I thought we did that and it just creates opportunities for us to play in transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was UCLA\u2019s 28th consecutive victory, a streak that dates to November.<\/p>\n

The Gophers\u2019 38% shooting from the field was their eighth lowest in a game this season and their 56 points were their third fewest this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur defense has to be our foundation and that has to be our anchors,\u201d said Gianna Kneepkens, who had five points and five five assists. \u201cIt\u2019s inevitable you\u2019ll have scoring lulls, you can\u2019t control that, so we have to put all our effort into defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

UCLA (34-1) hardly came out hot, but the Gophers (24-9) struggled to do anything in the opening quarter. Minnesota went four minutes without scoring, shooting 0 for 5 with three turnovers.<\/p>\n

The Bruins, though, went cold on offense in the second quarter and Minnesota cut it to a three-point game despite committing turnovers and having several shots blocked.<\/p>\n

UCLA went 0 for 6 from three-point range in the first half but led 34-29 at the break. Betts and Dugalic combined to hit 10 of 13 shots in the opening half, but the rest of the Bruins went six of 23.<\/p>\n

\"UCLA's <\/p>\n

UCLA\u2019s Kiki Rice drives to the basket in front of Minnesota\u2019s Brylee Glenn, far left, and Mara Braun during the first half Friday.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tightened up defensively,\u201d Close said. \u201cOne of the things I was most proud of today is we really did not shoot it well, and we didn\u2019t let missed shots, where we had nine missed layups in the first half, and then we didn\u2019t make many threes, we shot 25% from the three-point line, we didn\u2019t let that dictate our defensive intensity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe motions of being frustrated on offense. That\u2019s something we\u2019ve been challenging them on. That was a huge growth area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UCLA defense sealed the game, holding Minnesota to 33.3% shooting in the second half, and outrebounded the Gophers 37-31 overall while giving up just 22 points in the paint.<\/p>\n

That was a key against a Minnesota squad that has the size to generate an inside-out offense, but just not enough against UCLA\u2019s length.<\/p>\n

\"UCLA's <\/p>\n

UCLA\u2019s Gabriela Jaquez shoots between Minnestoa defenders Sophie Hart, left, and Mara Braun in the first half Friday.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re one of the top teams in the country when they get an offensive rebound or kick-out threes or production off of their offensive rebounds,\u201d Close said. \u201cWhen we were able to control rebounds and then get it into our guards\u2019 hands quickly, that\u2019s when you saw those great kick-aheads and decisions by Charlisse [Leger-Walker.]<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlisse\u2019s play and some of her defensive plays and help in rotations were just excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leger-Walker doled out eight assists with just one turnover in 30 minutes, and though she went scoreless from three-point range, she impacted the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we have to be aggressive right now,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve collectively experienced that in March. We know what it takes, it\u2019s defense and it\u2019s rebounding and moving the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

On a night where one of their best offensive weapons was off, that was key. UCLA, whose 37.5% from three-point range is sixth in the NCAA, went four of 15 from deep. It was their fifth-worst three-point shooting game of the season.<\/p>\n

Kneepkens and Leger-Walker, two of UCLA\u2019s guards known for their shot, went four-for-13 from the floor but took away space in their matchups throughout the game on the defensive side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way they move their feet and how aggressive they\u2019ve been lately has just been so amazing for me,\u201d Betts said. \u201cAnd I can just focus on my job of taking away their posts. Super proud of our guards and their physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n

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