UCLA’s physical presence in the paint proved decisive in ending hopes of notching another championship title for LSU women’s basketball. The top-seeded Bruins defeated third-seeded LSU 72-65 on Sunday in the Elite Eight, securing the Bruins’ first NCAA women’s basketball Final Four berth in program history.
Aneesah Morrow, LSU’s senior forward, acknowledged the difficulty of matching up against the Bruins’ interior defense.
“Very physical, we play physical teams, but they were very physical inside,” Morrow said after the game, via Tyler Harden of The Reveille on X, formerly Twitter.
Despite suffering a nose injury late in the third quarter following a collision with teammate Sa’Myah Smith, Morrow returned to the court without protection and finished with 15 points. ESPN initially reported that her nose was broken, but Morrow clarified postgame that it was not.
LSU women’s basketball couldn’t get past Lauren Betts
UCLA center Lauren Betts, who battled early foul trouble and sat the entire second quarter, made a strong impact upon returning, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds. She also added six blocks, anchoring a Bruins defense that limited LSU’s interior effectiveness. Betts’ presence loomed large even in limited minutes, following back-to-back 30-point tournament performances in previous rounds.
Flau’jae Johnson led LSU with 28 points but reflected critically on her play in the loss.
“I made bad decisions, I didn’t pass it at the right times,” she said, as reported by Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press.
The Bruins led by six at halftime and built a double-digit cushion early in the fourth quarter. LSU rallied to cut the deficit to 56-52 with just over three minutes remaining, but Gabriela Jaquez’s late 3-pointer sealed the win for UCLA. Jaquez finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Timea Gardiner added 15.
LSU ends the season 31-6 after a second straight Elite Eight exit under head coach Kim Mulkey. The Tigers were seeking to return to the Final Four after winning the national championship in 2023.
UCLA (34-2) advances to face the winner of UConn vs. USC in Friday’s national semifinal in Tampa, Florida.
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