No. 1 seed UCLA advanced to its first NCAA Final Four with a 72-65 victory over No. 3 seed LSU in the regional final Sunday afternoon in front of 9,299 fans at Spokane Arena.
Gabriela Jaquez led the Bruins (34-2) with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals while connecting on four of five attempts from 3-point range. Lauren Betts added 17 points, seven rebounds and six blocks, and Timea Gardiner contributed 15 points, hitting five of eight shots from beyond the arc. Kiki Rice tallied eight points, eight assists and was a perfect six for six from the free-throw line.
LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson led all scorers with 28 points, making 10 of 17 shots from the field.
The Bruins shot 41.7% from the 3-point distance, converting 10 of 24 attempts. Gardiner’s five 3-pointers and Jaquez’s four helped UCLA secure its seventh consecutive win and improve its all-time NCAA Tournament record to 29-19.
First Final Four Berth Secured
UCLA has reached its first NCAA Final Four after falling short in its previous two Elite Eight appearances in 1999 and 2018. The Bruins will face the winner of Monday night’s Elite Eight matchup between No. 1 seed USC (31-3) and No. 2 seed UConn (34-3). UCLA becomes the second team to advance to this season’s Final Four, joining No. 1 seed South Carolina, which defeated No. 2 seed Duke 54-50 earlier on Sunday.
“We’ve been having great first quarters and great third quarters,” said Cori Close, The Michael Price Family UCLA Women’s Head Basketball Coach. “We talked about what we needed to do differently to execute down the stretch. I thought we were very locked in and got a couple of crucial kills, which fueled our momentum.”
The two national semifinal contests are scheduled for Friday, April 4, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. UCLA’s game will tip off at either 4 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. PT (7 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. ET).
Bruins Take Control Before Halftime
UCLA trailed 13-9 after the first quarter but responded by outscoring LSU 22-12 in the second quarter. Gardiner led the Bruins with nine points in the first half, including a 3-pointer with 1:41 left in the second quarter that gave UCLA a 28-23 lead. Immediately afterward, Jaquez made a layup that put the Bruins up 30-23. LSU answered with a jumper, but Janiah Barker made one of two free throws with under seven seconds remaining to give UCLA a 31-25 halftime advantage.
Strong Start to Second Half
After leading 31-25 at halftime, UCLA pushed its lead to 14 points midway through the third quarter. Londynn Jones recorded a steal and a mid-range jumper to give the Bruins a 40-29 lead with 7:07 to play. Jaquez followed with a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds later, extending UCLA’s lead to 43-29.
LSU trimmed the deficit to five points at 46-41 with 1:22 left in the third quarter, but UCLA maintained that margin heading into the fourth quarter.
Clutch Play in Final Minutes
Gardiner’s fifth 3-pointer of the game, assisted by Rice, pushed UCLA’s lead to 54-45 with 7:53 to play. Betts followed with a layup to extend the cushion to 56-45 with 6:54 left.
Betts then halted an 8-0 LSU run with a free throw at the 2:56 mark, and Jaquez followed with two free throws to give UCLA a 59-53 advantage before her decisive 3-pointer. Then, leading 59-53 with 1:29 remaining, Jaquez drained the pivotal 3-pointer to extend UCLA’s lead to nine points, securing the win.
Close’s Impact on UCLA Program
Sunday’s victory marks a historic moment for UCLA under head coach Cori Close, now in her 14th season. Close has guided the Bruins to the Sweet 16 in seven of the past eight seasons and to the Elite Eight in 2018 and 2025. UCLA previously captured the AIAW National Championship in 1978, before the NCAA began sponsoring a women’s basketball tournament in the 1981-82 season.
