Despite foul trouble, Lauren Betts, UCLA head to women's Final Four after ousting LSU
UCLA won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women's basketball, but this was its first NCAA regional final victory in three tries.
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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.
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Flau'Jae Johnson scored 28 points to lead third-seeded LSU (31-6), which won the national title two years ago under coach Kim Mulkey but has been eliminated in the last two Elite Eights.
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The Tigers closed within 46-41 to start the fourth quarter. Betts' layup extended the Bruins' lead to 56-45 with 6:54 to go.
Johnson's layup got the Tigers within 56-52 with 3:24 left, spurring an 'LSU! LSU!' chant from the crowd. The Tigers couldn't get closer, and Jaquez made a 3-pointer with 1:30 left that all but 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, whose older brother Jaime Jaquez Jr. plays for the Miami Heat after starring at UCLA. '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 put in the work.'
Betts — a matchup nightmare for any team with her towering stature and skill in the post — 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.
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'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.'
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