Lauren Betts and UCLA are Final Four-bound after 70-58 win over Duke

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lauren Betts and her fellow UCLA seniors wouldn’t allow their season to end short of the Final Four

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lauren Betts and her fellow UCLA seniors wouldn’t allow their season to end short of the Final Four.

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 national semifinals for the second straight season.

“I was pretty mad, didn’t like how that first half happened,” Betts said. “I could have been a lot more effective. A game like this you got to take yourself out of your head. This is the Elite Eight and my senior season is on the line, so got to wake up a little bit.”

The 6-foot-7 Betts and her teammates did just that.

The top-seeded Bruins will play either Texas or Michigan in Phoenix on Friday, with unbeaten UConn on the other side of the Final Four bracket. UCLA is two wins away from the program’s first NCAA title.