UCLA Advances to Final Four Despite Sloppy Performance

Bruins overcome 18 turnovers and poor shooting to defeat Duke in Elite Eight

Mar. 29, 2026 at 10:03pm

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The UCLA Bruins are headed back to the Final Four for the second consecutive year, but their 69-65 victory over the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight was far from a clean performance. UCLA turned the ball over 18 times and made just 2-of-14 shots from three-point range, yet their size and interior dominance proved too much for Duke to overcome.

Why it matters

While the win secures UCLA's spot in the Final Four, the Bruins will need to play a much crisper game if they hope to win a national championship. Their struggles with turnovers and outside shooting exposed vulnerabilities that stronger opponents may be able to exploit.

The details

Despite leading by as much as 10 points, Duke was unable to pull away from the Bruins. UCLA's size and physicality, led by center Lauren Betts and forward Angela Dugalic, allowed them to control the paint and the glass. Dugalic came off the bench to provide 15 points and 6 rebounds, while Betts finished with a team-high 18 points. Head coach Cori Close leaned heavily on her veteran players, with starters Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts each logging over 35 minutes.

  • UCLA advanced to the Elite Eight with a win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game on March 12, 2026.
  • The Elite Eight matchup between UCLA and Duke took place on March 29, 2026.

The players

Lauren Betts

A senior center for the UCLA Bruins who led the team with 18 points and played a season-high 38 minutes in the Elite Eight victory over Duke.

Angela Dugalic

A junior forward for the UCLA Bruins who came off the bench to provide 15 points and 6 rebounds in the win over Duke.

Kiki Rice

A sophomore guard for the UCLA Bruins who played 36 minutes and was a key contributor despite the team's sloppy performance.

Cori Close

The head coach of the UCLA Bruins who shortened her rotation and relied heavily on her veteran players in the Elite Eight victory.

Sienna Betts

A freshman forward for the UCLA Bruins who made an impact in limited minutes, scoring 4 points in 7 minutes of play.

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What they’re saying

“We'll take the win, but we know we have to play much better if we want to win a national championship. Our turnovers and poor shooting just can't happen at this stage of the tournament.”

— Cori Close, Head Coach, UCLA Bruins

What’s next

The UCLA Bruins will face the winner of the Gonzaga-Texas matchup in the Final Four on April 5, 2026.

The takeaway

While the UCLA Bruins were able to overcome their sloppy play and defeat Duke, they will need to clean up their execution on both ends of the floor if they hope to win their first national championship since 1995. Their size and physicality kept them in the game, but against the best teams in the country, UCLA's weaknesses will be exposed if they don't play a more disciplined brand of basketball.