SPOKANE, Wash. — UCLA made it to the Sweet 16 in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
On both trips, though, the Bruins left with the sour taste of losing.
But on Friday, top-seeded UCLA finally experienced the “sweet” side of the Sweet 16 as the Bruins beat fifth-seeded Ole Miss 76-62.
But it wasn’t without some drama.
The Bruins had only a one-point lead at the half on No. 5 seed Ole Miss before an explosive third quarter helped lift UCLA to a win.
Lauren Betts had 31 points on 15-of-16 shooting with 10 rebounds, while Kiki Rice added 13 points and seven assists to lead the Bruins to their first Elite Eight since 2018.
UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s tournament, is now one win away from reaching its first Final Four.
But the Bruins will have to get through a determined and battle-tested LSU team on Sunday.