TAMPA, Fla. -- No. 1 seed UCLA had no answer for the surging UConn Huskies in the Final Four matchup between two of the nation's best programs as `UConn ran away with the game, blowing UCLA out 85-51 Friday, April 4 at Amalie Arena.
The 51 points was the lowest UCLA has scored in a game all season.
Star UCLA junior center Lauren Betts led the Bruins in offense, scoring 26, over half of UCLA's total points, while shooting 11-18 from the field.
No other Bruin had more than eight points, and seven of the 10 Bruins on the squad scored five-points-or-less. UCLA shot just 38.5% from the field as a team.
The Huskies' defense smothered the Bruins and kept them away from making meaningful shots to the basket.
They enveloped Betts in the paint to limit the passing opportunities of her teammates, and in turn helped keep Betts away from passing the ball back out from the key back to the Bruin backcourt.
The Bruins fought to stay in contention early in the first quarter, matching the Huskies score-for-score until around four-and-a-half minutes left in the first quarter, when the Huskies put together a 6-0 run to go ahead 15-8.
From then on, the game belonged to UConn. The Huskies outscored the Bruins by 10-or-more in all but the third quarter and finished the game leading by 34 points, 85-51.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts with head coach Geno Auriemma on the bench during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the UCLA Bruins at Amalie Arena.
UConn redshirt-senior guard Paige Bueckers had a strong performance for the Huskies, scoring 16 while shooting 7-17 from the field, but the stars of the show were graduate guard Azzi Fudd and, especially, freshman forward Sarah Strong, who led UConn with 22 points while pulling down eight rebounds.
While a disappointing end to what has been the greatest UCLA women's basketball season to date, the Bruins still finish with plenty to be proud of.
While sitting atop the NCAA women's basketball rankings for most of the season, the Bruins had the best start to a season in program history, opening the year 24-0 before their first defeat.
Reaching the Final Four itself was an accomplishment for the Bruins, being the first time in program history UCLA had made it to the semifinal of the NCAA tournament.
There were personal accolades abound for the Bruins as well. Betts filled her trophy case throughout the season, being named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-American center, to name a few. UCLA head coach Cori Close was named Coach of the Year by multiple outlets for her performance leading the program to new heights.
With their win over UCLA, UConn advances to their 13th NCAA Championship game in program history, where they will face South Carolina for the crown Sunday, April 6 at noon PT at Amalie Arena.