{"id":98609,"date":"2026-04-01T01:14:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T04:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/ucla-rallies-vs-duke-to-make-womens-final-four\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T01:14:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T04:14:55","slug":"ucla-rallies-vs-duke-to-make-womens-final-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/ucla-rallies-vs-duke-to-make-womens-final-four\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA rallies vs. Duke to make women’s Final Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After trailing at halftime for just the second time this season, No. 1 seed UCLA<\/a> returned to the Elite Eight court on Sunday looking like a new team.<\/p>\n

Overcoming a rare test from a tenacious Duke<\/a> squad, the Bruins rallied for a 70-58 win<\/a> to advance to the women’s Final Four. It was a turnaround sparked in the locker room at halftime, when the team’s six graduating members addressed what led to their 39-31 deficit.<\/p>\n

“Before [coach Cori Close] came in, I think we were just … able to call each other up and out on, like, what we have to fix,” UCLA forward Angela Dugalic<\/a> said. “I think that’s a great quality of our team … no one takes it personally. If I need Lauren [Betts]<\/a> to do something better, she’s willing to take accountability for that and vice versa. That goes for everyone on my team.”<\/p>\n

Heading into Sunday’s matchup, UCLA had the upper hand as one of the most balanced scoring attacks in Division I. But the third-seeded Blue Devils quickly proved that their defense was up to the test, scoring 16 points from 12 UCLA turnovers and putting constant pressure on Betts, the team’s star senior. In the first half, UCLA went 6-for-12 on plays with a Betts touch, including seven turnovers. Without a Betts’ touch, UCLA went 8-for-13 for 17 points with four turnovers.<\/p>\n

At the end of the first half, Betts had eight points, two rebounds, two assists and three blocks. For the Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, she said her first-half performance made her “pretty mad.”<\/p>\n

“I just didn’t like how that first half happened. And I know that I could have been a lot more aggressive. I think going into a game like this, sometimes you just take yourself out of your head and you realize, ‘Oh, this is the Elite Eight and my season is on the line,'” Betts said. “I’ve got to wake up a little bit.”<\/p>\n