LOS ANGELES - 1-seed UCLA punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament after a massive run in the third quarter propelled the Bruins to a 84-67 win over 8-seed Richmond in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Spiders kept up the pressure early, and managed to take a 9-8 lead courtesy of a triple by Richmond Maggie Doogan.
Doogan was firing on all cylinders for the Spiders. At the half, she had already netted 16 points while shooting 7-10 from the field, including two three-pointers.
“Our ability to rotate big three-scorers… was a really important piece too, because we could just throw bodies at her over and over again with length over time,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said on defending Doogan. “But, she is a really good player. She definitely caused us to make some adjustments.”
Neither team went on huge scoring runs in the first quarter; instead, the Spiders steadily climbed up the board, taking the lead over UCLA with a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach.
At the end of the first quarter the Bruins found themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar position: trailing 20-18.
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Richmond Spiders guard Rachel Ullstrom (22) puts up a shot past UCLA Bruins forward Timea Gardiner (30) during the second quarter of an NCAA Tournament second round game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
A 9-2 run early in the second put UCLA just ahead, and they continued to gain ground, stretching out to a 31-26 lead with just over 4 minutes remaining, largely off the efforts of first team All-American junior center Lauren Betts and junior guard Kiki Rice.
“I commend Lauren Betts,” Richmond head coach Aaron Rousell said. “Applauding her for her efforts today, I think our goal was… she [Betts] can get a little tired, and to her credit, maybe she did, but she didn’t show it.”
Betts represented the Bruins in the paint, guarding the key with offensive rebounds and finishing with second-chance points. Betts had a massive night, even for her standards, leading both teams with 30 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.
The Spiders stayed in the fight through the second, never giving the Bruins the space to breathe. After falling behind by five, Richmond surged back with a 7-0 run and tied the Bruins at 36 apiece with 22 seconds left in the first half, a score that the teams took to halftime.
The tenacious Spiders were out-matching the Bruins physically, fighting hard for rebounds and driving through the paint. Richmond out-rebounded UCLA 13-11 in the first half, and outscored the Bruins in the paint, typically a strength of the UCLA squad, 20-16 in the first half.
What a difference a quarter can make.
UCLA graduate forward Angela Dugalić opened the second half with a three for the Bruins, which was matched immediately by Richmond sophomore guard Ally Sweeney to keep the score tied at 39.
A few plays later, UCLA junior guard Londynn Jones made her first shot of the night, a three from the right corner, draining nothing but net and sending Pauley Pavilion into an uproar that threatened to shake the foundation of Westwood itself.
Pauley Pavilion comes alive after guard Londynn Jones sinks a three. Bruins up 47-41 in third. #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/jSzOLp3WAw
— jack (@Jackmagic00) March 24, 2025
The momentum had swung firmly UCLA’s way. Jones’ three was part of what became an absurd 23-2 run for the Bruins that carried them through the end of the quarter, finally giving them the insurance and space they had fought so hard to gain throughout the game.
Pauley Pavilion felt the switch too, the only time the Bruin hometown faithful cheered louder than when UCLA had the ball was when they were trying to deafen any Richmond players who held possession.
“That was definitely one of my favorite crowds I’ve played in front of at Pauley,” Rice said. “Just their energy and how they carried us, especially in that third quarter to bring us that extra boost, we really appreciated that. Given that it’s spring break right now and there’s not a lot of students on campus, it just means so much for so many people to show up.”
The tug-o-war that was the first half was now nowhere to be seen. The Bruins more than quadrupled the Spiders’ score in the third quarter and went into the fourth with a more-than-healthy lead 65-43.
While Betts and Rice were the offensive standouts, scoring 30 and 23 respectively, the rest of the Bruins squad was relentless in their support.
Their ball movement as a team was key to their third quarter resurgence. UCLA had 10 assists on 11 field goals in the third, and finished the game with 25 assists as a team.
The Bruin’s defensive step-up made just as much of a difference as their offensive one did. They held the Spiders to just 3-15 from the field in the third, and allowed just one three-pointer from the triple-heavy Spiders.
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kiki Rice (1) before shooting a free throw during the second quarter against the Richmond Spiders in an NCAA Tournament second round game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
No one on the Richmond side was contained more than Doogan. After a hot first half, she made just one shot in the third, a layup with 8:20 remaining in the quarter.
Richmond had a far more successful fourth quarter, matching their third quarter point total just two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth. The Spiders outscored the Bruins in the fourth, just as they had in the first.
Despite Richmond’s resilience, the goodwill UCLA had built themselves in the third had paid off.
Chants of U-C-L-A rang through the stadium, even as the Bruins continued to fight through the end of the game, striving to end the game on the highest of notes.
That high note arrived as the buzzer rang, and UCLA took home the win 84-67.
The victory propels the Bruins into the Sweet 16 of the tournament, where they will face 5-seed Ole Miss Friday, March 28.