UCLA Bruins guard Gabriela Jaquez (11), guard Kiki Rice (1), forward Angela Dugalic (32), center Lauren Betts (51) and guard Gianna Kneepkens (8) celebrate beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 80-56, during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday.
PAUL KITAGAKI JR.
pkitagaki@sacbee.com
A generation ago, the headliners for the UCLA Bruins were Denise Curry and Ann Meyers-Drysdale, two pioneering greats in women’s basketball.
They were so good that their jersey numbers remain the only ones retired for the Bruins inside famed Pauley Pavilion, and they wound up in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. UCLA won the 1978 AIAW national championship behind that dynamic duo, before the NCAA took over in 1982.
Curry was The Sacramento Bee’s first Player of the Year, earning that honor 50 years ago when she starred at Davis High School in Yolo County, and she was on hand Friday in Golden 1 Center to see the current edition look the part of national championship contender.
Seeded first in this NCAA regional and ranked second overall nationally behind 37-0 Connecticut, UCLA muscled past Minnesota 80-56 to start the festivities as Sacramento hosted a women’s tournament for the first time since 2010.
Today’s star power for UCLA comes in the form of six seniors, none bigger, more talented and more difficult to deal with than Lauren Betts. The 6-foot-7 senior post scored used terrific footwork and sheer tenacity to score 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and she had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in the clash of Big Ten programs.
UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts drives to the basket against Minnesota Golden Gophers center Sophie Hart during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
UCLA scored 52 points in the paint, had nine blocked shots and limited Minnesota to 22 interior points as the Bruins extended their ongoing school winning streak to 28 in moving to 34-1 overall.
UCLA is now in the Elite Eight for the fourth time, doing so previously in 1999, 2018 and 2025. UCLA last season reached the Final Four. Another win this weekend at Golden 1 will stamp UCLA’s ticket to the Final Four in Arizona.
UCLA is in its 21st NCAA Tournament and has the look of an outfit poised to win the program’s first championship since the old days of the AIAW — the Association for Interscholastic Athletics for Women.
Curry starred as a versatile forward at UCLA from 1977-81, and she remains the Bruins’ all-time career scorer and rebounder. She is a season ticket holder, as is Ann Meyers-Drysdale, so they get to take in the Bruins’ rise up close and personal. A guard, Meyers-Drysdale was the first four-time All-American in women’s basketball.
Curry said she is ecstatic at the growth of the Bruins and the women’s game in general.
“I am happy to see the media coverage, general interest and fan support and attendance as the game continues to grow and grow,” she said. “The game and the women deserve it. I absolutely love this UCLA team for how they play, how they carry themselves, and for how they represent and honor UCLA.”
UCLA coach Cori Close said she is moved to have the backing of two of the school’s all-time greats.
“(Curry) is a season ticket holder with us, so we get to see her all the time,” the coach said. “When you have two people like Denise and Ann that have had their jerseys retired, and I get text messages from them all the time, that just means the world to us. I would extend that to all of our great alums.
“There were a ton of them here today, and we really do play for them, and we know that we stand on their shoulders and the trails they blazed. I’m just really humbled and grateful to have their support, and Denise Curry is one of the ones leading the way.”
UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close yells to her team during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
In beating Minnesota for the third time this season, UCLA won its 13th game this season against a ranked opponent. Betts with her fourth rebound on Friday eclipsed the 1,000-rebound mark for her career. Her five blocked shots put her within three of tying the single-season school mark of 227.
Grace Grocholski led Minnesota with 12 points. The Golden Gophers finished 24-9.
UCLA star on mental health
Four UCLA players scored in double-figures, led by guard Kiki Rice, who had 21. Forward Angela Dugalic used her 6-foot-4 frame to had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Betts’ younger sister, Sienna Betts, came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds and score five points in just under nine minutes. She is a 6-4 freshman forward.
UCLA Bruins forward Angela Dugalic drives against Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Mara Braun (10) during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
The elder Betts said UCLA is holding back on real celebration until the Final Four. The Stanford transfer also said the Bruins have not played their best game.
Betts has also been a champion of sorts in talking publicly about dealing with depression.
She said earlier Friday that she wrote about her journey for the Players’ Tribune because “it was a good opportunity for me to show the growth that I’ve had in the past few years.”
UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) reacts after scoring a basket with guard Kiki Rice (1) during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
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Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.