Lauren Betts leads Spokane Region 1 top seed UCLA into Sunday’s Elite Eight showdown with No. 3 LSU, looking to send the Bruins to their first-ever Final Four.
Betts guided UCLA (33-2) to the brink of unprecedented postseason success with consecutive games of unrivaled excellence in recent NCAA history.
With 31 points on 15-of-16 shooting from the floor and 10 rebounds in the Bruins’ 76-62 Sweet 16 win over Ole Miss on Friday, Betts became the first Division I player with 30 or more points on at least 80 percent field-goal shooting and 10-plus rebounds in back-to-back games in 20 years, per ESPN.
LSU (31-5) will defend Betts with a combination of its talented frontcourt, most notably Sa’Myah Smith, who played all 40 minutes of the Tigers 80-73 win over NC State on Friday.
However, LSU will try to find a balance guarding the dominant Betts without freeing up other Bruins.
“If you focus too much on Betts, she will pick you apart and find her open teammates,” said LSU coach Kim Mulkey.
Indeed, UCLA’s critical 12-2 run coming out of halftime on Friday jump-started when Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones hit 3-pointers.
Likewise, LSU’s multidimensional offense presents challenges for UCLA. Aneesah Morrow and Flau’jae Johnson average 18.8 and 18.3 points per game, respectively, with Mikaylah Williams adding another 17.5.
Morrow also leads the nation in rebounding at 13.7 per game.
“Morrow, she’s just a beast on the boards,” Betts said. “We’re just going to have to come out with a really physical mentality and just (make) sure that we don’t rely on our height, that we actually find a body and box somebody out.”
LSU bounced UCLA from the NCAA Tournament in last year’s Sweet 16, 78-69. Johnson led the Tigers with a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Betts went for 14 points and 17 rebounds but was held to 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and went only 6-for-11 at the free-throw line.
–Field Level Media
