UCLA charges back in second half, tops Duke in Elite 8 in UCLA-heavy Golden 1
This wasn’t exactly famed Pauley Pavilion, located some six hours south in Los Angeles, but Sunday afternoon’s UCLA-heavy crowd cheered their basketball heroes with a standing ovation amid a celebration scene inside Golden 1 Center.
Trailing at the half for just the second time this memorable, record-setting season, the top-seeded Bruins charged back behind their core group of six seniors to defeat the No. 3-seeded Duke Blue Devils 70-58 in an Elite 8 round showdown of name-brand programs. A crowd of 9,627 fans, a good many of them in UCLA blue colors who chanted in the closing seconds, “Final Four! Final Four!”, were treated to elite-level basketball of skill and intensity and equally entertaining-to-watch coaches.
UCLA players took a victory lap at Pauley Pavilion to thank fans after securing a return trek to the Sweet 16 on March 21. Now the Bruins are back in the Final Four on the strength of a 29-game winning streak and on the shoulders of 6-foot-7 All-American center Lauren Betts.
She was named the NCAA Sacramento regional MVP after muscling and maneuvering inside for 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and five blocked shots. Betts said she and her teammates took it to heart that they did not play as well as they expected in the first half, crediting Duke for a lot of that.
“I was pretty mad,” a relieved and smiling Betts said afterward. “I was thinking, ‘I gotta wake up!’”
The Bruins woke up, seized command with a 16-6 run to open the third quarter, and off they went. Bruins players wore T-shirts after the game that read, “We’re not done”, meaning there are two more wins needed to crown UCLA as women’s national champion for the first time since 1978 and the first time under the umbrella of the governing body NCAA. Before the NCAA took control of the women’s tournament in 1982, women’s teams competed in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
Betts’ fellow senior big and All-Regional selection Angela Dugalic had 15 points and six rebounds and three blocked shots, and UCLA senior guard Kiki Rice provided steady floor play in scoring seven points and grabbing eight rebounds for the back-to-back Big 10 Conference champions who take their 35-1 record to Phoenix for the Final Four.
Among the giddy this weekend in UCLA colors at Golden 1 was Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame great Denise Curry, a pioneering great player when she was named The Sacramento Bee’s first Player of the Year 50 years ago after starring for Davis High School in nearby Yolo County.
A forward with guard skills, Curry set still-standing career scoring marks at UCLA from 1977 to 1981, and her single-game high of 47 points in 1979 remains the highest in school history. UCLA coach Cori Close has applauded alums such as Curry for their love and loyalty, saying that the Bruins are here “on their shoulders.”
On Sunday afternoon, wearing a black Final Four cap, the 15th year UCLA coach said it takes a family feel and culture to win at this stage of the season.
“I’m just really humbled and thankful to be a part of a team and staff that cares about things from the inside out,” she said. “What you saw on the court is a reflection and a byproduct of what’s happened on the inside.”
Betts downplayed any pressure of finishing on top, though she did laugh at the reminder that she studied the Final Four game film a dozen or so times, for motivation and to get it out of her system. The Bruins are ranked No. 2 nationally overall behind 38-0 Connecticut, which is in its 25th Final Four seeking their record 13th championship.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure, and that’s something that we talk about a lot in this program — keeping our circle small,” Betts said. “What not worried about what media has to say about us, what other people have to say about us, or fans. We’re so focussed on our progression and trying to get better every single day.”
The family feel Sunday included Betts inviting her high school coaches from her dominating prep days in Colorado to the Golden 1 Center floor to celebrate.
The last time UCLA trailed at the half was the last time the Bruins lost a game, the only setback this campaign. That was a 76-65 setback to Texas on Nov. 26. The Longhorns on Monday play Michigan in an Elite 8 game in the Fort Worth region. UCLA plays the winner of that game in the Final Four.
Taina Mair scored 21 points for Duke, which reached the Elite 8 for the second consecutive season under coach Kara Lawson, who made an otherwise triumphant return to Sacramento. She played seven of her 13 WNBA seasons in Sacramento and expressed gratitude this week to the scores of fans who thank her for her role in helping the Monarchs win the WNBA championship in 2005.
Lawson saw her Blue Devils start the season 3-6 before winning 24 of 26 games. Duke finished 27-9.
“From where we started to where we finished, I don’t know that there’s a team that grew more than we did in the country,” Lawson said. “That is all because of our players, their belief, their faith and their trust in each other and out staff. That’s hard to find. That’s rare.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2026 at 4:49 PM.