The Spokane Arena was on its feet with 1:30 left in the game, as the no. 1-seeded (33-2) UCLA Bruins were on the verge of their shining moment, the chance to make their first-ever Final Four. After no. 3-seeded (31-5) LSU stormed back on an 8-0 run, cutting a once 14-point lead to just six, the Bruins turned to their stars when the lights shined the brightest.
Center Lauren Betts, swarmed by purple and gold defenders under the basket, spotted an open Gabriela Jaquez. With a perfect pass, Betts found Jaquez beyond the arc. As the ball soared through the air, the weight of two teams’ seasons hung in the balance. It came down swishing through the net, and the Bruins had their moment. As the buzzer sounded, blue and gold confetti rained down and UCLA defeated LSU 72-65, securing its first-ever Final Four appearance on April 4.
Jaquez ended the game with 18 points and eight rebounds to lead the Bruins. Betts added 17 points and seven rebounds to help UCLA punch their ticket to Tampa.
“It feels great,” Jaquez said. “We talk about, if Lauren kicks it out, you’ve got to be a ready shooter and I always stay ready. I knew that’s the right shot I needed to take, and I have confidence in myself when shooting.”
Exactly one year ago today, the Bruins were on the other side of the coin. Instead of confetti raining down, there were tears in the blue and gold jerseys. The Bruins, after leading for most of the game, let LSU steal the Sweet 16 game right out of their hands, and for a year that game has been the focus and determination behind the UCLA Bruins.
“Since we lost a year ago today, we remembered that and we used that as fuel, and our coaches said … that our programs are playing against each other, but they’re brand-new teams,” Jaquez said. “We have a lot of confidence in our team, and we’ve all gotten better. We all have grown from that and we’ve added new members, and I just couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this team.”
The storylines were set, the tension had built and all the talk and anticipation had faded; the game had now moved between the lines. One team would keep its season alive, while the other would be sent home.
Both teams came out wanting to establish their identity early, and Betts did that for the Bruins as she scored a quick six points. The Bruins’ inside game was working. However, that was short-lived.
As hall of fame head coach Kim Mulkey and the Tigers adjusted after the quick start, they settled in defensively and forward Aneesah Morrow went on a 7-0 run to end the quarter. With the Tigers up 4, they looked to take control of the game.
With under a minute in the quarter, Betts picked up her second foul and the Bruins’ best player had to sit for an entire quarter while LSU took advantage.
The Bruins had other plans and flipped the script, outscoring the Tigers 22-12 in three quarters and using the three-point ball to get into a flow on offense. Forward Timea Gardner, who checked in for Betts at the quarter break, knocked down a 3pt shot on her first offensive possession.
She knocked down two 3’s in the first quarter and three more in the second half to put her at 15 points and 5/8 from beyond the arc.
With the Bruins best player on the bench, they could have crumbled and let LSU run away with it. Instead, they dug deep and went to the next-man mentality, flipping the script on the Tigers.
“I have full confidence in them,” Betts said. “I was more mad at myself that I had the two fouls. I have a team full of players who are just amazing and talented, and they put in the work. So, I knew that as I was sitting there, I’m going to be the best teammate that I can and cheer them on, but they have my back at the end of the day.”
With Betts back in the game, the Bruins kept their offense flowing and had the lead up to as much as 14. However, Tigers forward Flau’Jae Johnson, who had a quiet four points in the first, was starting to get going and led the push to cut into the lead. After three, the Bruins led 46-41 with 10 minutes away from their first ever Final Four in the NCAA era.
The fourth quarter was where both offenses came alive. After a three-pointer by Gardner to push it back to eight, Johnson showed the country what she could do on the open court. Johnson read the eyes of point guard Kike Rice and stole the pass while going full speed. She put the ball behind her back and cruised coast to coast, giving the Tigers their first points of the fourth quarter.
Betts had a frustrating night with the Tigers doubling her and making it hard to catch the ball at times. She got a pass from the perimeter, turned pump-faked, got the and-1 to fall and was visibly fired up.
The Bruins outscored the Tigers 26-24 in the final quarter and fell in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. The Tigers were not good shooting the ball; for long stretches of the game, Johnson single-handedly kept the Tigers in, putting up 24 points in the second half and finishing with a game-high 28 points. Morrow, in her last game in a Tiger uniform, finished with 15 points and spoke emotionally about her time as a Tiger.
“From my first practice coming in here, I was up for a challenge and just seeing how much I persevered, but not only on the basketball floor, but with my teammates. I know that they have my back, and I have their back far beyond LSU, and I’m grateful for that because you don’t get to experience teammates like that,” Morrow said.
Mulkey, who comforted Morrow in the presser multiple times, spoke about their relationship.
“The saddest day of your life as a student-athlete in basketball is when you take that jersey off your senior year and you never put it on again,” Mulkey said. “Now, some will go on and play pro ball, but that’s why [Morrow] is so emotional. That’s a tough pill to swallow when you’re a senior.”
The Bruins have fought through adversity, doubt and all the above, and now head coach Cori Close can’t help but be proud of her team as they look to bring home a national championship.
“I sit here with great pride and gratitude, and more than anything else, I’m just so incredibly grateful to be able to be a part of their process,” Close said. “They inspire me every day. The way that they commit to giving to each other selflessly and sacrificially and intentionally grow and choose a growth mindset, it’s not easy. I am one blessed coach.”