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PHOENIX — On Friday, Lauren Betts could hardly contain her emotions, covering her mouth in astonishment as UCLA prepared to greet their opponents in the postgame handshake line.
This moment encapsulated why Betts chose to forego the 2025 WNBA draft, opting instead to return to UCLA for her final collegiate season. Her leadership had already propelled the Bruins to unprecedented heights, guiding them to their first-ever Final Four appearance.
However, Betts was determined to seize one last opportunity to clinch the ultimate prize—a national championship.
Under her guidance, UCLA boasted an impressive 35-1 record, including a remarkable streak of 29 consecutive victories. This dominant performance secured them both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, paving their path to a second straight Final Four appearance.
In a thrilling showdown, the Bruins avenged their only loss of the season by defeating Texas 51-44. Now, they stand just one victory away from capturing UCLA’s first national championship in the NCAA era.
“We were talking about it in the locker room. This is something that we’ve all dreamt of being in the position [we’re] in and we’re all very very thankful,” Betts said. “And we expected to be here. So tonight, we’ll all celebrate with our families and soak this in and then tomorrow we gotta walk in and prep for another.”
Texas made UCLA sweat. The Longhorns cut it to a three-point game with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter. But Betts chased Madison Booker down on a fast-break and blocked her layup.
Kiki Rice drained four free throws in the final 13 seconds to seal the win.
A year ago, coach Cori Close vowed that the Bruins “be better the next time we’re here.”
“We’ve got to let the pain of this” — a Final Four loss to UConn — “teach us to go to new heights next year and learn from this and be better the next time,” Close said in Tampa.
That’s exactly what happened.
The Bruins welcomed back seniors Betts, Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic. They bolstered their rotation, welcoming Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens and graduate student Charlisse Leger-Walker. Six players who could hear their name on WNBA draft night in 10 days.
They’ll play a tough South Carolina team who outmuscled UConn hours earlier on Friday.
The Gamecocks are making their fourth appearance in a national championship game in five years and are vying for their third title in that window.
But the Bruins are playing with house money and savoring the opportunity of playing one more game together.
“Job’s not finished,” Jaquez said.