Lauren Betts’ UCLA Bruins will play the South Carolina Gamecocks in the National Championship game today at the PHX Arena in Phoenix. The Gamecocks are coming off a dominant Final Four win, which turned controversial in the last second.
The Bruins, on the other hand, had a comfortable Final Four outing against the Texas Longhorns. Betts led her team in a low-scoring game with 16 points, shooting 7 of 10 from the field, and had 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
The Bruins won the game 51-44 to advance to their first-ever National Championship game. Last year, they made their first Final Four appearance but ended up losing 51-85 against the UConn Huskies.
While there would be a lot of pressure on Lauren Betts and Co., the 6’7 center is keeping things light, not allowing the pressure to get to her. Ahead of the title game against South Carolina, Betts was channeling her inner Hannah Montana.
UCLA’s official Instagram page posted snapshots of players from their practice session. They were accompanied by the team’s cheerleaders on the sidelines. Betts reposted her picture on her Instagram story with the caption:
“Channeling my inner Hannah Montana.”
Betts moved from Stanford to UCLA in 2023. She was getting limited time at Stanford, averaging just 9.6 minutes per game for 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds. Her overall numbers went up after moving to UCLA.
This season, she is averaging 17.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game. She shoots over 58% from the field and has been one of the main reasons why the Bruins have been able to make another deep NCAA Tournament run.
Lauren Betts Came to Madison Booker’s Defense
While the Final Four matchup between UCLA and Texas was memorable for Betts and her team, the Longhorns would like to forget about it as soon as they can. The game was particularly difficult for Madison Booker.
Booker, who shot nearly 51% from the field throughout the season, struggled to make some of the easiest shots that night. She ended up with just six points on 3 of 23 from the field. When she was being targeted for the loss, Betts spoke in her defense.
“She’s such an amazing player,” she said. “I don’t want yesterday to take over the fact that she’s had an amazing season. I’ve seen a lot of the stuff that she’s getting right now. She really doesn’t deserve it all.”
Betts asked fans to “give her a little bit of grace” as the things that were said about her in the name of criticism were hurtful.
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