21 hours ago
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SACRAMENTO – Lauren Betts could barely take a step or utter a word without someone wanting a hug or making some sort of celebratory gesture.
The UCLA center had just started an on-court interview Sunday afternoon when teammate Angela Dugalic poured a container of confetti over her head. A few flecks stuck to Betts’ forehead before a teammate tenderly brushed them off.
From there it was on to reuniting with her parents in one corner of the Golden 1 Center, the trio embracing before mom Michelle Betts wiped tears from her face.
And of course there was another joyous dance alongside Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker, the trio reviving their new tradition after big wins.
Being named Most Outstanding Player of the Sacramento 2 Regional had its perks.
Betts was in high demand after she powered her team’s comeback during a 70-58 victory over Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Irritated by her team’s play in the first half in falling behind by eight points, Betts decided to do what she does best.
She dominated.
“I think I was pretty mad,” Betts said after scoring 15 of her 23 points in the second half and finishing the game with 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. “I just didn’t like how that first half happened. And I know that I could have been a lot more aggressive. I think going into a game like this, sometimes you just take yourself out of your head and you realize, oh, this is the Elite Eight and my season is on the line. So I’ve got to wake up a little bit.”
Duke was in trouble as soon as she stirred.
After finding Jaquez cutting toward the basket for a layup on the opening possession of the third quarter, Betts added a layup that had the large throng of UCLA fans standing and roaring.
As the Bruins surged into the lead, Betts added several more layups and blocks, one of those swats leading to a Dugalic layup that put their team ahead by nine points.
Soon it was time to start celebrating.
Summoning her high school coach and his assistant from the stands, Betts added to her entourage of supporters.
“They’re my family so I wanted to make sure that they were on the court and got to celebrate with us,” Betts said. “They coached [former Bruin] Michaela [Onyenwere] as well. So, I mean, it’s like the Grandview [High] connection, and I thought it was just really special to have them with me.”
Getting to revive her viral dance routine required an assist from Angela Scales, the director of UCLA’s spirit and engagement team. Scales found a way to play Tate McRae’s “Just Keep Watching” over the arena’s sound system, prompting Betts, Jaquez and Leger-Walker to do their celebratory thing.
“I don’t know how she does it,” Betts said. “But apparently she did it for Big Ten [Tournament]. I had no clue, but she’s the one that keeps doing it. They just play it and Gabs comes running over and we — honestly, we did it in the locker room today too. I didn’t realize they were going to play it on the court in front of everybody. But it’s always fun.”
There could be more dancing to come for a team headed back to the Final Four.
As she rose from her seat behind a microphone to return to the locker room Sunday afternoon, her interview complete, Betts wore a shirt that said, “We’re Not Done.”
“This is just another step in our journey together,” Betts said. “So I’m just really thankful.”
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