UCLA storms back from rare halftime deficit to beat Duke and reach women’s Final Four

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lauren Betts had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks to help UCLA rally from a rare halftime deficit and beat Duke 70-58 on Sunday, advancing to the women’s Final Four for the second straight season.

The top-seeded Bruins will play either Texas or Michigan in Phoenix on Friday in the national semifinals. UCLA is two wins away from the program’s first NCAA title.

Third-seeded Duke tested UCLA (35-1) like few teams had done this season. The Bruins struggled to get going offensively or contain the Blue Devils (27-9), who reached their second straight Elite Eight on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Ashlon Jackson against LSU in the Sweet 16.

Taina Mair scored 21 points to lead Duke, which also lost in a regional final last year.

Trailing by eight at the half, Bruins veterans Betts, Angela Dugalic and Gianna Kneepkens played with more urgency, not wanting their season to end short of the Final Four.

UCLA was down 45-41 midway through the third quarter before using a 10-2 run to take its first lead since scoring the first basket of the game. Kneepkens’ 3-pointer gave the Bruins a 47-45 advantage.

Defensively, UCLA stymied Duke, not allowing the Blue Devils a basket for the final 6:12 of the period. That drought didn’t end until Mair hit a 3-pointer 1:30 into the fourth quarter that got Duke within 56-50. That was the Blue Devils’ first 3 of the game after they missed their first 10 shots from behind the arc.

They got no closer the rest of the way. Betts was too much as the Bruins won their 29th consecutive game.

Duke came out attacking UCLA offensively and double-teaming the All-American Betts on the defensive end. Betts didn’t get her first points until she hit two free throws with 1:21 left in the first quarter. She scored the last six points of the quarter for UCLA, which trailed 21-17 at the end of the period.

Mair and Riley Nelson continued the offensive onslaught in the second quarter as the Blue Devils took a 39-31 lead into the half.

It was only the second time that the Bruins trailed at the half this season. The other time was in their only loss, to Texas in a November tournament in Las Vegas.

UCLA and Duke also met in that tournament and the Bruins won easily without Betts. This Duke team came together soon after that defeat to win 24 of its last 27 games after starting 3-6.

Malfunctioning microphone

Singer Ernestine Balisi worked her way through “The Star-Spangled Banner” with a faulty microphone that kept cutting in and out. When it was evident a few bars in that the microphone was malfunctioning, the crowd joined in as the anthem echoed throughout the arena.

Balisi was given a backup mic near the end of the anthem and the crowd gave a loud ovation as she belted out the last few words.