by Paul Teetor
The UCLA women’s basketball team made modern history Sunday afternoon by reaching its first ever NCAA Final Four.
For the old-timers who say wait a minute, UCLA won a national title in 1978 – well, that was in the pre-NCAA era of women’s basketball, and this was its first NCAA regional final victory in three tries.
The news was not so good on the other side of town. On Monday night the USC women’s basketball team fell out of the Final Four appearance for the first time since they won back-to-back NCAA titles in 1983-84.
But the Trojans had a really good excuse. JuJu Watkins, their best player and the no-dispute greatest player in the college game now that Caitlin Clark is shooting the lights out in the WNBA, suffered a season-ending injury early in their second-round game.
Despite her absence the Trojans went on to win their Sweet Sixteen game against Kansas State to advance to the Elite Eight game against Connecticut. It was a long awaited, much hyped matchup that was supposed to feature a battle of the superstars – the do-it-all Watkins against Connecticut’s scoring machine, Paige Bueckers, who had 40 points in their Sweet Sixteen game.
With Watkins out, USC still fought hard but didn’t quite have enough fire power and lost to Connecticut 78 to 64.
So now all the NCAA title hopes of LA rest with the UCLA women after their 72-65 win over LSU. They will play their national semifinal game against Connecticut Friday night in Tampa, Florida. If they win that game, they will advance to the national championship game against either Texas or South Carolina Sunday afternoon.
The Bruins won their Elite Eight game against Louisiana State Sunday night in a most unusual fashion for them: by not relying almost exclusively on the dominant inside game of 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts, their All-American center with great hands, skilled footwork and powerful post moves.
This time the Bruins were led in scoring by Gabriela Jacquez – yes, she is the sister of former Bruins star Jaime Jacquez, now a key player for the Miami Heat – with 18 points. That was not a shock, since Jacquez started at forward all year for the Bruins and did all the little things that let Betts shine. She just scored a little more than she usually does.
The real surprise was Timea Gardiner, who came off the bench to nail four three pointers and score 15 points, shooting without any hesitation whenever Betts found her for an open shot on the perimeter.
Betts had 17 points and seven rebounds despite spending the entire second quarter on the bench, as Bruins coach Cori Close opted to take her out early and not risk her superstar getting a third foul in the first half. Five fouls and you’re out of the game.
Betts added six blocks for the Bruins, who now have a 34-2 record on the season – with their only two losses coming at the hands of USC when they still had JuJu Watkins. That’s how great Watkins is.
Betts recognized that this time she didn’t carry the entire weight of the team on her broad shoulders.
“Credit to my teammates for holding it down while I was out,” Betts said during the trophy ceremony.
The game against LSU was one of the most physical battles you will ever see in a women’s game, with bodies crashing to the floor on almost every play. Indeed, whenever Betts got the ball deep in the post she was immediately surrounded by two and sometimes three LSU players trying to hold her down and swat the ball away.
For whatever reason – call it the Shaq syndrome – the referees were reluctant to call fouls against the smaller Tiger players who repeatedly hacked, slapped and hit Betts as she tried to get her own shot or looked to pass the ball out to teammates Jacquez and Gardiner for open shots.
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, which won the national title two years ago under coach Kim Mulkey but has now been eliminated in the last two Elite Eights.
Indeed, Mulkey, who wears loud, colorful outfits and stomps and up and down the sidelines screaming at everybody — her own players, the other team’s players, and the referees — was the scariest sight in the entire jam-packed gym.
With Mulkey’s sideline antics reaching a fever pitch, the Tigers closed within 46-41 to start the fourth quarter. But Betts’ layup extended the Bruins’ lead to 56-45 with 6:54 to go.
Johnson’s layup got the Tigers to within 56-52 with 3:24 left, spurring a fevered “LSU! LSU!” chant from the crowd. But the Tigers couldn’t get closer, and Jaquez hit the key bucket — a 3-pointer with 1:30 left — that 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. “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’ve put in the work.”
Betts 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. But she was not dominant in this game, just part of a winning ensemble.
“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 a 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. Seemingly out of nowhere, she hit a 3-pointer every time LSU got close.
“I have full confidence in them,” Betts said of her teammates. “Obviously I’m 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 they put in the work.”
Betts started the second half by 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!”
And they did.
Boy, did they ever.
They executed LSU right out of the tournament and now they are two wins away from a national championship.
History is beckoning.
Contact: teetor.paul@gmail.com. ER
