SPOKANE, Wash. — UCLA’s Lauren Betts delivered a dominant performance, nearly perfect from the field, as she propelled the Bruins past Mississippi 76-62 on Friday night, securing a spot in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
Betts, standing at 6-foot-7, was unstoppable in the paint, scoring 31 points on 15-of-16 shooting while also contributing 10 rebounds and three blocks. The top-seeded Bruins (32-2) will now face LSU on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. LSU advanced earlier in the evening by defeating N.C. State 80-73.
UCLA head coach Cori Close praised Betts as a “generational player.”
“She doesn’t just dominate individually; she elevates everyone around her,” Close said. “We want the ball in her hands as often as possible because she makes our team better.”
Kiki Rice added 13 points and seven assists for the Bruins, joining Betts as the only UCLA players in double figures.
Fifth-seeded Ole Miss (22-10) was led by Tameiya Sadler’s 14 points. The Rebels, making their first Elite Eight push since 2007, had earlier stunned Baylor to reach the Sweet 16. Last season, they pulled off an upset over Stanford before falling to Louisville.
Betts continued her stellar tournament run, following up a 30-point, 14-rebound effort in UCLA’s second-round victory over Richmond with another dominant showing.
“We’ve worked so hard to reach this moment, and I’m incredibly proud of our team’s selflessness,” Betts said. “At this stage, it’s all about finding ways to win, no matter who has the hot hand. It took grit from everyone tonight, and I couldn’t be prouder of this program.”
Betts is one of only three players in the last 25 seasons to record multiple games of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a single NCAA Tournament.
The game remained close early, with UCLA leading 19-10 before Ole Miss battled back to within two points. The Rebels trimmed the deficit to 30-29 at halftime after KK Deans converted a fast-break layup.
However, the Bruins took control in the third quarter, opening with an 8-0 run and stretching their lead to 45-33 after a Londynn Jones three-pointer. Gabriela Jaquez later sealed the victory with an uncontested fast-break layup that extended UCLA’s lead to 63-46 in the final period. The Rebels never mounted a serious comeback from there.
UCLA’s only two losses this season came at the hands of USC and standout JuJu Watkins, but the Bruins avenged those defeats by overcoming the Trojans 72-67 in the Big Ten Tournament final.
“After our loss to USC, I completely shifted my mindset,” Betts said. “I’ve focused on being aggressive and doing whatever it takes to help my team while staying positive no matter what.”
Meanwhile, USC will continue its tournament run in Spokane, set to face Kansas State on Saturday. The Trojans will be playing their first full game without JuJu Watkins, who suffered a torn ACL in her right knee during a second-round win over Mississippi State.
Betts’ stellar outing further solidified her impact, as she scored 16 of UCLA’s 30 first-half points. She also finished with a game-high plus-23 rating, and her defensive prowess has been unmatched, amassing 93 blocks this season as the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year.
