Betts, top overall seed UCLA look for March Madness success in Elite Eight meeting with LSU

With back-to-back games of at least 30 points and 10 or more rebounds, UCLA center Lauren Betts certainly appears unstoppable. But, LSU has thwarted the Bruins before — in the Sweet 16 of last years women's NCAA Tournament.

They'll get a rematch on Sunday, this time in the Elite Eight.

UCLA (33-2), the overall No. 1 seed, advanced with a 76-62 victory over Mississippi on Friday night, the Bruins' first trip to the regional finals since 2018.

Betts scored 31 points on efficient 15-of-16 shooting and added 10 rebounds and three blocks. The 6-foot-7 All-America similarly had 30 points and 14 rebounds in the Bruins' second-round 84-67 victory over Richmond.

She's one of just three players to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the tournament in the last 25 seasons.

“She is so talented,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said of Betts. “Just watching her from high school to today, it's amazing how good she is. Certainly her height is an advantage and we're not going to grow that tall overnight.”

The third-seeded Tigers (31-4) defeated N.C. State 80-73 in Friday's other regional semifinal. Aneesah Morrow had 30 points and 19 rebounds, for her 30th double-double this season and the 104th of her career.

The 6-foot-1 forward is one of two women in NCAA history with more than 100 double-doubles. She’s also the only player in the country with more than 600 points and 450 rebounds this season.

“The way in which she exerts her dominance on the offensive glass and then really being crafty around the rim or attacking from the high post off the dribble,” UCLA coach Cori Close said about Morrow. “That's going to be our challenge, to try to mitigate that and to get them out of rhythm.”

LSU, which won the national title two years ago under Mulkey, reached the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season. Mulkey also led Baylor to three national titles.

“They're a really physical, really aggressive team,” Betts said. “Obviously matching up against Morrow, she's going to be super physical and want to get every single rebound. So just making sure that we come out with that mentality that we're just not going to let that happen and we're going attack from the very beginning."

In last year's Sweet 16, Flau’jae Johnson had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Angel Reese had her 26th double-double of the season before fouling out to give LSU a 78-69 win over the Bruins.

Betts had 14 points and 17 rebounds in that game.

Afterward, Reese — who has since moved on to the WNBA — called the brash and confident Tigers the “good villains.” LSU went on to lose to Caitlin Clark and Iowa 94-87 in the Elite Eight.

Betts has improved since last year, when she `almost got too good too quick," Close said.

“I knew last year she could become that, but now she's equipped from the inside out to sustain that,” Close said. “She's just an amazing player on both sides of the ball and she makes everybody else around her better.”

Johnson's Status

In Friday night's game, Johnson finished with a season-low three points on 1-of-8 shooting and sat for final five minutes after falling hard in a sprint for a loose ball with an N.C. State player. She was escorted to the sideline and given eye drops by LSU's trainers.

Mulkey said Johnson was “good to go” for Sunday's game.

“I feel good,” Johnson said on Saturday. “I think her elbow just hit me in my eye, and I couldn't really focus my eyes. I was seeing double. I was trying to get back in the game, and then I was like, `I can't see,' so I just sat down. But I'm good."

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.