Postgame Talk: UCLA Finds a New Level to Beat LSU 72-65, Advance to First NCAA Final Four in Program History

The Bruins survived a first half without Lauren Betts, then showed their composure late to put away the Tigers.

Londynn Jones, Timea Gardiner, Gabriela Jaquez, Lauren Betts, and Kiki Rice. (Photo credit: @UCLAWBB)

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If ever there was a test to see whether this UCLA program had taken the necessary steps to level up and prove they are an elite team on the national stage, you would be hard pressed to come up with a better option than the LSU Tigers. It was these same LSU Tigers that knocked the Bruins out of last year’s NCAA Tournament, in a game where the Bruins led throughout but lacked the composure necessary to finish the game. LSU was a more experienced, veteran team, and the Bruins were shown exactly what separates good teams from great ones. Many of the Bruins spent the entire year talking about what that loss meant to them and how they drew inspiration from it to fuel their program-defining season.

So maybe it was only appropriate that this team got another shot at LSU in the NCAA Tournament with the program’s first-ever trip to the Final Four on the line. Maybe it was only appropriate that they get the opportunity to show their growth as a team and as individuals against this veteran Tigers squad. Maybe it was only appropriate that they would be forced to show that they are more than Lauren Betts, that this can be a complete team deep enough to weather any storm and come out stronger on the other side.

Maybe all of that is true, or maybe it is just a coincidence in the grand scheme of things, but the end result is the same. UCLA was able to exorcise its past demons and put away LSU by the final score of 72-65, advancing to the program’s first Final Four in history and putting themselves one step closer to immortality.

There are a lot of individual storylines that stood out throughout this game, but the one that jumps out first and foremost is that UCLA had to play a significant portion of this game without their All-American center. Lauren Betts is UCLA’s biggest weapon and the straw that stirs the drink for the Bruins; neutralizing her is not only the biggest focus of any defensive game plan, but it is typically the only way to defeat the Bruins. Betts being off the floor has been equally problematic for UCLA; ESPN put up an amazing stat where the Bruins were +320 with Betts on the floor since the start of the year compared to -3 with her off the court. So when Betts picked up a second personal foul with 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter and the Bruins trailing 11-9, you would be forgiven for thinking things were about to go from bad to worse. And, for a brief moment, they did; Aneesah Morrow hit a layup to give LSU a 13-9 lead at the end of the quarter, and it looked like the Tigers had seized momentum.

But then a curious thing happened. The Bruins suddenly figured things out on the offensive end, spurred on by an outburst of scoring from two players who have struggled so far in this NCAA Tournament. Gabriela Jaquez has seen tremendous growth this season, but she has struggled to be a factor on offense during this tournament one, with a 1-10 performance from the field against Richmond, followed by a subpar outing (by her standards) against Ole Miss. But during the second quarter, she hit a huge three and a great layup en route to a team-high 18 points on 5-7 shooting. Timea Gardiner has similarly struggled this tournament, as her defense has kept her off the court for long stretches of the postseason; the Ole Miss game represented her nadir, as she did not register a shot attempt in 13 minutes of game time. But called upon to be a major factor against LSU, Gardiner delivered, hitting three of her five three-pointers during the second quarter to buoy UCLA’s offensive efforts.

(The Bruins also got a great outing from Janiah Barker, but she’s been tremendous all tournament long and would have put up more points had she done better from the free-throw line.)

The Bruins outscored the Tigers 22-12 in that second quarter, with Lauren Betts spending the entirety of it on the bench. It was a pivotal turning point in the game, and when Jaquez hit a three with 7:04 left in the quarter to give UCLA a 20-17 lead, the tide had completely shifted. The Bruins would never trail for the rest of the game, extending the lead to as large as 14 points at one point.

What was more impressive is that, even when Betts was able to be on the floor in this game, she was not the all-encompassing nightmare that she had been for opponents in the previous three games. To be sure, she still finished with 17 points and was a menace on defense with six blocks, but she had to fight and claw for everything she got in this game. LSU threw the kitchen sink at Betts and, much like in last year’s matchup, found a lot of success in the process. Betts only made seven of her 14 shot attempts while turning the ball over five times, and the Tigers managed to do a great job of keeping her out of her comfort zone all night.

Of course, everyone in the building knew that at some point LSU would go on a run, and sure enough, that is exactly what happened midway through the fourth quarter. After Betts made a nice basket to give the Bruins an 11-point lead, LSU went on a run keyed by Flau’Jae Johnson, who finished with a game-high 28 points and did everything she could to keep her team in the game.

With 3:24 remaining in the game, the Bruins found themselves in a similar position to the one they were in last year, nursing a dwindling lead against a confident and surging LSU. And yet this year’s UCLA team has improved, and in those final minutes, the Bruins were able to show their improved composure, making 13 of their final 14 free-throw attempts in those last three minutes to secure the victory. UCLA raised its defensive intensity to match the moment as well, limiting the second-chance opportunities that the Tigers got and turning the game into a math problem tilted firmly in their favor.

Were there still things to nitpick? Absolutely. UCLA kept letting LSU hang around in large part due to a series of careless turnovers, and the Bruins were able to survive a subpar outing from Kiki Rice and another poor showing from Londynn Jones (a distressing trend throughout this NCAA Tournament run). But that also speaks to what kind of team UCLA has become this season, where they can weather poor performances throughout the rotation and still come out on top against a strong opponent. This was a complete team victory, the kind that Coach Cori Close has been building towards with this roster for years.

In many ways, the 2024-2025 season for the UCLA women’s basketball team was building to this moment, towards an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and establish themselves as one of the elite programs in the country.

Mission accomplished.

But there are still two more games before the ultimate goal is achieved. UCLA has earned the right to try and be 1-0 again, this time at the Final Four in Tampa.

Go Bruins!

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