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UCLA women Final Four bound after rally for big victory over Duke
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- UCLA women Final Four bound after rally for big victory over Duke
SACRAMENTO – Sometimes you just have to find a way.
Before tipoff inside the Golden 1 Center on Sunday, the national anthem singer's microphone cut only moments into the song.
But as if on cue, the crowd broke the uneasy silence by singing along. By the end of the song, a new microphone had been found and everyone was in sync.
Lauren Betts of the UCLA Bruins reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the third quarter. Getty Images
It was a similar story for the UCLA women's basketball players inside their locker room at halftime of their Elite Eight game against Duke in the NCAA Tournament. There had been way too many turnovers. Too much soft play. Too many easy baskets surrendered.
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The players didn't wait for their coach to address everything that had gone wrong.
Knowing what needed to be fixed and how to go about it, the Bruins talked among themselves. They spoke about what they needed from one another, not wanting their season to end before reaching college basketball's biggest stage.
"We understood," guard Angela Dugalic said, "that the first half wasn't a good representation of how we want to play basketball."
This was only the second time this season the Bruins had trailed at halftime. The first had come in their only loss.
A second wouldn't come Sunday, not after the way UCLA finally started taking care of the ball. Not after Dugalic and Lauren Betts unleashed one power move after another around the basket. Not after the Bruins' defense tightened and the Blue Devils finally folded under the will of a superior team during UCLA's 70-58 victory.
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Surging ahead with a 15-2 run to end the third quarter and open the fourth, the Bruins shook off their early turnover problems to get back to where they wanted to be.
"Final Four!" jubliant fans chanted in the final minute. "Final Four!"
Kiki Rice drives to the basket against Jordan Wood. Getty Images
UCLA (35-1) will play either Texas or Michigan in a national semifinal on Friday at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix in the Bruins' second consecutive trip to the Final Four.
They'll be seeking their first NCAA title after losing to UConn in a semifinal last year.
All because they took stock of what needed to be done and did it even before coach Cori Close entered the locker room at halftime.
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"I'm just so proud of the way that we're able to just stay calm and still hold each other accountable while also just competing at the highest level," Betts said after overpowering the Blue Devils with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. "I think that's just what makes this team so special.
The Bruins also got a huge spark off the bench from Dugalic , who tallied 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
The season goes on after UCLA mostly cleaned up its turnover issues – committing only six in the second half – and outscored Duke, 20-8, in the third quarter.
UCLA could finally forget about its early troubles late in the third quarter when Gianna Kneepkens rose for a straightaway 3-pointer that pushed the Bruins into a 47-45 lead. Kneepkens roared in celebration as the Bruins fans who packed most of the lower bowl of the arena howled in delight.
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Dugalic followed with a turnaround jumper, a layup and a putback in which she was fouled. By the time she made the resulting free throw, the Bruins were up 56-47 early in the fourth quarter and well on the way to their 29th consecutive victory.
"I just had the mentality of, if they can be that aggressive, then why not us be that aggressive with them?" Dugalic said. "And that's really it."
Angela Dugalic reacts against during the third quarter in the Elite Eight. Getty Images
It didn't take long for UCLA to realize it was in for a far different challenge than it faced in November on the way to a 30-point blowout of the Blue Devils without Lauren and Sienna Betts .
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Coming off a breathless buzzer-beater against LSU two days earlier, Duke was fearless in attacking the Bruins from the opening tip.
The Blue Devils built an early double-digit lead, largely on the strength of UCLA's sloppiness.
After a first half in which her team struggled to run its offense, Close huddled with point guards Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker in front of the bench before heading to the locker room.
The Bruins piled up 12 turnovers – many unforced – in falling into a 39-31 halftime hole, and that was after five relatively clean minutes to close the half.
Duke forward Toby Fournier defends against Lauren Betts during the second quarter. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Midway through the second quarter, UCLA already had tallied 10 turnovers. Leger-Walker tried to find Angela Dugalic inside with a bounce pass that went out of bounds. Kneepkens stepped out of bounds. Lauren Betts committed an offensive foul. The Bruins couldn't get a shot off on another possession, leading to a shot-clock violation.
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The list went on.
UCLA celebrates after defeating Duke. Getty Images
Meanwhile, Duke (27-9) executed at a much higher level while building a 10-point lead. The Blue Devils did a good job of denying Lauren Betts the ball or swarming her when she finally did get it. Betts had eight points on a meager five shots to go with only two rebounds at the game's midpoint.
"What I said to the team in the locker room after that was just like, hey, even now, even this time, we can't change. What does this teach us? What do we learn from it?" Close said, the answers evident in the Final Four hat on her head and the net draped around her neck.
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When the Bruins dribbled out the final seconds, order having been restored, the five players on the court gathered into a quick huddle, placing their arms around one another, delivering another message.
"I just said," Betts said, reliving the moment later with reporters, " 'I love you guys.' "
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