Lauren Betts swats away Texas: UCLA to face South Carolina on Sunday
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It’s only fitting that the UCLA Bruins are headed to their first-ever NCAA national championship game after a game-sealing block by Lauren Betts. Betts sent away a Madison Booker shot in the final minute of UCLA’s 51-44 win over the Texas Longhorns in the semifinal on Friday.
Basketball felt like rugby on Friday
This game was a slugfest, and that might be underselling it. UCLA head coach Cori Close compared the game to a rugby match in a mid-game interview but the Bruins survived through the muck and have an Easter Sunday showdown versus South Carolina for a national title.
UCLA kept Madison Booker under wraps
It took some oddities for UCLA to get the win. Booker shot an incredibly unusual 3-23 shooting performance. You can give UCLA’s defenders credit for slowing down Texas’ star but Booker is typically a far more sharp player than what we saw on Friday. The Bruins will take it though, as the UCLA defense kept the Longhorns offense out of sync all game long.
"The Block"@laurenbetts12 x @UCLAWBB x @B1Gwbballpic.twitter.com/aM6iUVLnlh— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) April 4, 2026
Inbounding the basketball was incredibly difficult for the Bruins
UCLA’s offense wasn’t humming either. The Bruins turned it over an eye-catching 23 times and it certainly felt like it. The pressure from the Longhorns was apparent throughout, as each inbounds pass felt like a battle against the Texas defense.
Gianna Kneepkens' friendly roll
Made shots were a rarity in the game, so UCLA was elated to see Gianna Kneepkens rim in a three on a shot that looked destined to avoid the net. The shot fell, growing UCLA’s lead to 13 points with under five minutes to play. Texas certainly made things interesting but the cushion was enough for the Bruins.
A new hill to climb for UCLA
UCLA made up for their lone loss of the season, looking much better, and more importantly defeating Texas in their second meeting of the season. Now the Bruins will have a new first, a first national title game, against a very accomplished South Carolina program.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA advances to national championship with 51-44 win over Texas
