PHOENIX — Lauren Betts on Friday coated her mouth in disbelief as UCLA lined up for the postgame handshake line.
This was why Betts handed up the 2025 WNBA draft with the intention to return to UCLA for her ultimate season. She already took the Bruins the place this system had by no means gone earlier than — to a Ultimate 4.
However she wished one final crack at successful all of it.
She led UCLA to a 35-1 marketing campaign, together with 29 consecutive wins. The Bruins captured Large Ten common season and event titles. They danced their solution to UCLA’s second consecutive Ultimate 4.
And after avenging their lone loss this season by taking down Texas 51-44, the Bruins at the moment are solely a win away from the Bruins’ first nationwide championship for the reason that NCAA.
“We have been speaking about it within the locker room. That is one thing that we’ve all dreamt of being within the place [we’re] in and we’re all very very grateful,” Betts stated. “And we anticipated to be right here. So tonight, we’ll all have fun with our households and soak this in after which tomorrow we gotta stroll in and prep for an additional.”
Texas made UCLA sweat. The Longhorns minimize it to a three-point recreation with 1:02 left within the fourth quarter. However Betts chased Madison Booker down on a fast-break and blocked her layup.
Kiki Rice drained 4 free throws within the ultimate 13 seconds to seal the win.
A 12 months in the past, coach Cori Shut vowed that the Bruins “be higher the following time we’re right here.”
“We’ve acquired to let the ache of this” — a Ultimate 4 loss to UConn — “educate us to go to new heights subsequent 12 months and study from this and be higher the following time,” Shut stated in Tampa.
That’s precisely what occurred.
The Bruins welcomed again seniors Betts, Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic. They bolstered their rotation, welcoming Utah switch Gianna Kneepkens and graduate scholar Charlisse Leger-Walker. Six gamers who might hear their identify on WNBA draft night time in 10 days.
They’ll play a troublesome South Carolina staff who outmuscled UConn hours earlier on Friday.
The Gamecocks are making their fourth look in a nationwide championship recreation in 5 years and are vying for his or her third title in that window.
However the Bruins are enjoying with home cash and savoring the chance of enjoying yet another recreation collectively.
“Job’s not completed,” Jaquez stated.
