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NCAA Women’s Tournament: UCLA runs away from Minnesota in Sweet 16

March 28, 2026

SACRAMENTO — The UCLA women’s basketball team shook off a slow start to beat Minnesota 80-56 in its fourth straight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance Friday evening at Golden 1 Center.

With their 28th consecutive victory, the top-seeded Bruins will play the winner of Friday night’s game between third-seeded Duke and second-seeded LSU in their second consecutive trip to the Elite 8 on Sunday.

Kiki Rice led UCLA (34-1) with 21 points and made 7 of 12 shots from the field while going a perfect 6 for 6 on free-throw attempts. Lauren Betts shot 7 for 9 for 16 points and Angela Dugalić recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Charlisse Leger-Walker dished out a team-high eight assists.

In a battle of Big Ten teams, UCLA had its lowest-scoring first half of its tournament and yet still led Minnesota 34-29 at the break. The Golden Gophers’ defense – though outsized – planted itself inside against the Bruins’ offense and forced them to go 0 for 6 from long range in the opening half.

From midrange in, however, it was a different story. Betts used her length to hit layups and jump shots over the opposition and finished the first half with 10 points.

She dominated the paint on the opposite end of the court too, playing a key role in UCLA’s efforts to control the tempo of the game. Fourth-seeded Minnesota (24-9) scrapped for points on the inside while the Bruins threatened to chase them from the perimeter if they chose to work from the outside.

Tori McKinney was able to break through and make two 3-pointers in the second quarter, and she was part of a collective effort as six Golden Gophers scored in the first half.

Minnesota 6-foot-5 center Sophie Hart, who finished with 11 points, hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 28-25. She later got through Betts for a clutch layup that made it 30-27 with 1:14 left in the half.

The Bruins flexed their transition offense at the start of the second half and rattled off eight unanswered points to secure a 42-29 advantage at 5:48 of the third quarter.

Leger-Walker logged her fifth assist that led pass to Gabriela Jaquez’ transition layup to start the third quarter and signaled that UCLA was no longer to be stopped.

To cap off the scoring run, Gianna Kneepkens flipped a pass to Betts, who spun around for a layup as defenders attempted to drag her down. Freshman Lena Bilić later gave her teammates a jolt of energy when she hit a 3-pointer with roughly four minutes to go in the quarter.

UCLA kept the ball moving in the closing frame and gained a 20-point lead when Rice grabbed a steal and rebounded her own missed shot for a layup.

It was UCLA’s second win over Minnesota, after beating the Golden Gophers 76-58 on Jan. 14, and their second win in Golden 1 Center this season. The Bruins, in their third game, defeated Oklahoma 73-59 on Nov. 10 in Sacramento.

Orange County Register

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NCAA Women’s Tournament: UCLA runs away from Minnesota in Sweet 16

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