NCAA Basketball Report News

ASSOCIATED PRESS

It wasn’t a complete dominant performance by any means, but the Bruins got the job done on Friday night. 

No. 1 UCLA pulled away from No. 4 Minnesota in the second half on Friday night at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Bruins secured an 80-56 win over the Gophers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, which kept their hopes of a return trip to the Final Four alive. 

UCLA will await either No. 2 LSU or No. 3 Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday in the Sacramento Region 2.

UCLA opened the game quickly and led the entire way, but Minnesota didn’t disappear in the first 20 minutes. The Bruins started on a 14-6 run, but the Gophers narrowed that gap to just five points by halftime after Mara Braun hit a tough, contested jumper in the final seconds. The Bruins went 0-of-6 from the 3-point line in the first half.

But finally, the Gophers fell back. They failed to score for almost the first half of the third quarter, until finally Grace Grocholski hit a 3-pointer just before the midway point. That just about did them in. UCLA pushed its lead to 13 points briefly, and then managed to keep it at double figures at the end of the period after Kiki Rice hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds. Rice was the only Bruins player to score in the final three minutes of the period. 

UCLA then put the Gophers away for good. The Bruins started the final period on a 13-6 run to push their lead to 20 points, and they never looked back. They cruised to the 24-point win without any issue to get out of the Sweet 16. 

Grocholski led Minnesota with 12 points and six rebounds while shooting 5-of-10 from the field. Sophie Hart added 11 points, though they were the only Gophers players to hit double figures. The Gophers only reached the Sweet 16, which marked the first time the program had done so since 2005, after they hit a game-winner to beat Ole Miss in the second round.

Rice finished with 21 points, and Betts had 16 points and five rebounds. Betts surpassed the 1,000-career rebound mark, too. UCLA shot 57% from the field in the second half alone despite only making four 3-pointers on the night, all of which came in the final two quarters.

The Bruins fell in the Final Four last season in what was the program’s only trip to the national semifinals. At 34-1 this season, and after a dominant showing throughout the Big Ten, the Bruins seem capable of at least holding their own against the other powerhouses in the country and have perhaps their best shot at winning a national championship ahead of them.

But in order for a return trip to the Final Four, they’ll have to get past either Duke or LSU, which is sure to be their toughest test yet.