UCLA Reaches Its First Women's Title Game After Surviving Texas in a Defensive Grind
Story Summary
Lauren Betts and the Bruins leaned on defense again, holding Texas to one of the lowest-scoring Final Four efforts in years.
PHOENIX ? UCLA advanced to the women's national championship game for the first time in program history on Friday night, beating Texas 51-44 in a Final Four semifinal defined more by defense than rhythm.
In its game report, The Associated Press said Lauren Betts anchored the effort with 11 rebounds and a late block on Madison Booker after the Bruins nearly let a 13-point fourth-quarter lead slip away.
The win sent UCLA into a title matchup that AP later reported would end with the Bruins claiming the first national championship in school history two days later against South Carolina.
Box-score details and play-by-play on ESPN's game page showed just how much the game turned on half-court defense, with Texas shooting poorly throughout and managing only six points in the first quarter.
For UCLA, the semifinal win represented both a program breakthrough and a form of revenge after last season's Final Four loss to UConn.