After a pair of riveting games on Friday, the first game of the Sacramento Regional final will feature the ACC Champion Duke Blue Devils against the Big Ten Champion UCLA Bruins.
The Bruins dominated their Sweet 16 matchup with Minnesota, demolishing the Golden Gophers in a paint-centric beatdown in which the top-seeded UCLA outscored their opponent 55-22 down low. Senior center Lauren Betts scored 16 points and recorded five blocks, while senior guard Kiki Rice contributed a game-high 21 points.
In the second game of the night, Duke stunned LSU with a buzzer-beating three from senior guard Ashlon Jackson on an inbound play with just 2.6 seconds remaining.
Duke’s win was powered by elite ball movement and a clutch shooting performance from senior guard Taina Mair, who drilled four threes to end the night with 22 points.
RELATED: Day One: UCLA handles business, Duke wins an instant March Classic
Duke struggled through their non-conference schedule, going 3-6 before finding their form and winning 17 straight on their way to an ACC Championship. The Blue Devils got their revenge for one of those non-conference losses in their prior game against LSU, and will need to do so again to advance to a Final Four.
In their prior matchup, UCLA massacred Duke in the third-place game of the Player’s Era Championship, 89-59. Despite missing Betts, UCLA dominated the paint throughout, jumping to a 30-7 lead early on. The Bruins possessed a size advantage even without the 6-foot-7 Betts, but the Blue Devils were able to keep the rebounding battle close.
To pull the upset, Duke will need to mirror where teams have found success against the Bruins.
Minnesota kept UCLA within reach by establishing a paint presence and getting their shooters loose, something Duke is well equipped to do.
Sophomore forward Toby Fournier showed off her endless paint creativity, pivoting and spinning her way to 22 points, scoring exclusively in the paint or at the line. Sophomore center Arianna Roberson pulled down double-digit rebounds against the Tigers, her third straight game with at least eight boards.
If Fournier and Robertson can make an impact inside, head coach Kara Lawson can find space for the red-hot Mair to shoot. In the month of March, Mair is shooting a scorching 43% from deep on 4.5 attempts per game.
UCLA’s goals are simple: dominate the paint, dominate the game. That’s been their recipe to success for the season, powering them to a 28-game win streak, which began with the aforementioned win against Duke.
They’ve out-rebounded teams by an average of 15.4 a night, and are one of the nation’s largest women’s basketball teams.
This is a battle that will be won on the blocks. Duke faces UCLA at noon on Sunday.
