SPOKANE, Wash. — Lauren Betts did not see the floor in the second quarter for UCLA.
She picked up her second foul late in the first quarter. LSU had to take advantage, but it didn’t. When Betts made her return, it was too late, and LSU fell to UCLA 72-65 to see its season come to a close.
LSU ends its season with a 31-6 record, falling short in the Elite Eight for the second season in a row. Kim Mulkey has led LSU to the Elite Eight in three of her first four seasons in Baton Rouge.
“I learned to celebrate every team I coach,” Mulkey said. “Some have overachieved through the years, some have gone just as far as I thought they could go, and then some have underachieved. That’s the fun part of coaching.”
Betts scored six points on 3-of-5 shooting to start the game, but her two fouls took her to the bench for the entire second quarter.
There was no better time for LSU to capitalize, but it failed to.
Betts made her return to start the second half, and continued on her strong performance from the first quarter. She finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. She got 11 of her 17 points and six of her seven rebounds in the second half.
“Our defense on Betts was as good as we could do,” Mulkey said. “Our discipline defensively cost us.”
LSU shot just 31% from the field and 22% from three without Betts on the floor in the second quarter. Most notably, however, it shot just 1-of-3 from the foul line. Those points matter in the Elite Eight.
Aneesah Morrow was held to just two points and a rebound after seven points and four rebounds in the first quarter. In addition, Sa’Myah Smith was kept off the court after picking up her second foul.
Morrow and Smith were playing some of their best basketball heading into Sunday, but UCLA contained them.
However, Morrow and Smith collided toward the end of the third quarter; Morrow left with a bloody nose, but returned to start the fourth quarter.
Morrow finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss, shooting 7-of-19 from the field, and Smith added four points and 10 rebounds.
“You wish you had Aneesah every time you walked on a court every day because you knew what you were getting from her and her effort,” Mulkey said. “Give me the Aneesah Morrows of the world every day.”
In addition, LSU had nine turnovers in the first half, four of which came from Flau’jae Johnson.
“I made bad decisions. I didn’t pass it at the right time,” Johnson said. “I feel like it was just some unforced turnovers that weren’t necessary.”
On Friday, Johnson scored just three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field. She responded with 28 points on Sunday, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and 3-of-6 from three.
Mikaylah Williams struggled to find her shot this time around, totaling just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field. However, she grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.
UCLA had the height to make up for Betts’ presence with 6-foot-4 forwards in Angela Dugalic and Janiah Barker, and 6-foot-3 forward Timea Gardiner. The Bruins’ post players, however, took their game to the perimeter.
The Bruins shot 10-of-24 (41.7%) from three. Gardiner knocked down five 3-pointers, finishing with 15 points, shooting 5-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from three. Gabriela Jaquez hit another four shots from behind the arc, and finished with a team-leading 18 points.
“Betts did not beat us,” Mulkey said. “I will say, as I said before, they’re not all about Betts. Betts is just a safety valve down there. When they get in trouble, she can score at will.”
Janiah Barker drew fouls in the paint and found ways to get to the free throw line. She finished with six points on 4-of-8 shooting from the foul line. Kiki Rice added another eight points for UCLA.
Betts’ return to the court fueled UCLA, allowing it to gain separation. The Bruins led by as much as 14 points in the second half.
LSU came as close as three points in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter with the help of Johnson. Johnson scored 16 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter.
But LSU gave UCLA an opportunity to gain ground, especially at the foul line, where UCLA shot 13-of-15 in the fourth quarter.
Betts’ absence in the second quarter was the perfect opportunity for LSU to build on that lead it once had. Instead, UCLA regained the lead without its 6-foot-7 center, and ran with it when she returned.
UCLA responded, and LSU didn’t.
Just as LSU ended UCLA’s season in 2024, the roles are now reversed. This time, LSU will have a heartbreaking loss to sit with until next season.
“We had a heck of a year,” Mulkey said.
