The UCLA women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA championship game for the first time in its history after defeating the Texas Longhorns 51-44 in their Final Four matchup on Friday night in Phoenix.
► Read about the game on the UCLA Athletics website
“I just wanted to win it so bad for this team,” senior center Lauren Betts told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. “We work so hard. It’s just execution; when you work so hard and you’re consistent every day and the coaches hold the standard, great things happen.”
In Westwood, hundreds of fans gathered to root on the No. 1–seed Bruins (36-1) at a free watch party in UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. They cheered every moment, joined by members of UCLA’s band, spirit squad and Josie Bruin. The game was tense and physical with No. 1–seed Texas — the only team to beat UCLA during the regular season.
National championship game: Fans are again invited to watch the game for free at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday. Doors open at noon; play begins at 12:30 p.m. (click here to RSVP)
“It wasn’t the sport I thought I was coaching,” UCLA head coach Cori Close told ESPN’s Scot Van Pelt after the win. “I think it was more rugby than it was basketball. I wanted to apologize to all the fans that we couldn’t give them a cleaner game — with 23 turnovers.”
For Sunday’s title game, UCLA will face the South Carolina Gamecocks, who defeated the University of Connecticut earlier in the evening. While the Bruins celebrated tonight’s win, the team must quickly shift focus and get ready for that final matchup.
Close said the opportunity to play one more game is something they plan to take full advantage of.
“I think that’s what they’ve been doing the entire time … fighting for 40 more minutes. And now that there’s just 40 minutes left, man, we got to make the most of them,” she said.
While this is UCLA’s first time playing for the NCAA championship, it’s not their first national title contest. The Bruins won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Basketball Championship in 1978.
Betts said she’s full of joy following the win and heading into the championship.
“I love these girls, and one thing about us is we’re always going to work together. We just earned another day with each other, and we’re so happy,” she said. “I love these girls. We’re trying to go 1-0. We’re here to win. I’m just so proud of everybody. This group is amazing. I love my team so much.”
On Saturday, UCLA Athletics shared a video showing UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk visiting the team and offering words of support and encouragement. (See the post at this link on Instagram, and below.)
