TAMPA, Fla. — Passes glanced off their hands. Rebounds squirted out of bounds. The bright lights of a historic season blinded UCLA on the biggest stage.
Connecticut, appearing in its 16th Final Four in the last 17 NCAA tournaments, played like a team used to this moment, dominating UCLA 85-51 in the Final Four at Amalie Arena on Friday. The Bruins (34-3) looked nothing like the team that earned the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
Playing in its first NCAA Final Four, UCLA turned the ball over 19 times. Although star center Lauren Betts muscled up 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, the Bruins made just four three-pointers on 16 attempts. UConn star Paige Bueckers had a quiet 16 points — including just six in the first half — but the Bruins still fell behind by 20 at halftime, equaling the largest deficit they faced all season, because Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong dominated with 19 and 22 points, respectively.
UCLA’s season — which featured a school record for wins, the program’s first No. 1 NCAA tournament seed and the first appearance in a national semifinal since 1979 — felt charmed after the Bruins bounced back from a humiliating loss to USC at home. They exorcised their rivalry demons by defeating the Trojans in the Big Ten tournament for their first conference tournament championship since 2006. They finally overcame the Sweet 16 hurdle that tripped them up five times under Close. They got revenge against Louisiana State to make school history and reach Tampa.
But they left their magic 3,000 miles away in Washington.
UCLA turned the ball over on the opening possession as Londynn Jones botched a simple pass toward Angela Dugalic. Fudd banked in a three-pointer in the first quarter. UCLA’s Timea Gardiner had a three-pointer roll around the inside of the rim and pop out.
UCLA’s bench couldn’t help swing the momentum.
After freshman Elina Aarnisalo’s turnover turned into a fastbreak layup for Kaitlyn Chen that put the Huskies up 39-22 with 1:32 remaining in the second quarter, UCLA coach Cori Close gestured desperately to the referee for a timeout. But before Close could debrief with players, Kiki Rice pulled her teammates into a tight huddle. The point guard shouted toward her teammates while coaches huddled together separately.
Rice, Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Jones figure to be cornerstones of a team that is still firmly in its championship window. Every player has eligibility to return next year.
Betts, whose transfer to UCLA last season propelled the Bruins into national championship contenders, checked out in the final two minutes with tears welling in her eyes as she gave her teammates high fives. She buried her face in a towel on the bench.