This post was updated March 28 at 10:23 p.m.

Sunday’s match will mark a year since then No. 3-seed LSU upset then-No. 2 seed UCLA to end the Bruins’ season earlier than projected.

But this time, the Bruins will take on the Tigers in an Elite Eight match following No. 3 seed LSU’s upset over No. 2 NC State.

No. 1 seed UCLA women’s basketball (32-2, 16-2 Big Ten) defeated No. 5 seed Mississippi (22-10, 10-6 SEC) 76-62 with an unrelinquished lead at its first of two matches in Spokane, Washington. The Bruins’ leading scorer, junior center Lauren Betts, passed her average 19.7 points per game by the third quarter of play against the Rebels and ultimately led the game with 31 points and 10 rebounds.

“Lauren is a dominant player on both sides of the ball, and she always has been,” said coach Cori Close. “That’s why she is one of the top players in the country, that’s why she makes us better, and that’s why we’re in the Elite Eight.”

Junior guard Kiki Rice controlled the perimeter to begin the matchup. She opened scoring with back-to-back free throws. After a series of exchanges, the Bruins found Betts, who made the team’s first shot from the field.

Following her first make, the Defensive Player of the Year blocked the returning shot from the Rebels, keeping them scoreless for the first four minutes. Meanwhile, the Bruins went on a 9-0 lead to dominate the match early.

“I feel like ever since our loss to USC, I’ve just completely changed my mindset going forward – just being aggressive no matter what,” Betts said.

By the second quarter, the Bruins found a 19-12 lead after shooting 8-for-13 from the field compared to the Rebels’ 5-for-20. UCLA did not earn a single first-quarter turnover compared to its game average of 15.

A series of fouls kept the Bruins on the defensive to start the second quarter, which the Rebels capitalized on with a three-minute 7-0 scoring run. An offensive rebound by Betts finally broke Ole Miss’ spell but allowed the Rebels to inch closer to the Bruins.

With four minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Bruins had only increased their shots in the paint by six with Betts limited by a familiar face. Christeen Iwuala, a former Bruin and now-Ole Miss forward, remained in the paint alongside Betts on the defensive. But the First Team All-American still managed to shoot 6-for-6 in the paint to maintain the Bruins’ lead.

But Betts’ near-perfect first-half efforts, shooting 8-for-9, were not enough to keep the Rebels down. Leading the quarter by six points, Ole Miss closed the gap to only a one-point deficit by the end of the half, 30-29.

“The biggest thing we talked about at halftime, and we will need to carry on to the next game, is rebounding,” Rice said. “LSU has some great rebounding players on their team, so just focusing on, ‘How can we excel in that area and dominate the boards both offensively and defensively?’”

In Bruin fashion, the third quarter solidified the ticket to the Elite Eight.

A missed shot by the Rebels quickly put the ball back in the hands of junior forward Londynn Jones, who sank her first 3-pointer of the match.

Rice found the basket twice consecutively – once in a jump shot and a second from the perimeter for a 3-pointer off an assist from Betts. The All-Big Ten First Team duo accounted for 54 of the 84 points in the Bruins’ round of 32.

Back-to-back baskets from the 6-foot-7 center continued the Bruins’ four-minute 8-0 scoring run to extend the lead. By the end of the third quarter, Betts boasted 24 points.

The Bruins ended the quarter with a perfect free throw percentage and an 11-point lead.

Ending the match 76-62, the Bruins maintained their lead in the paint with 48 points while limiting themselves to 10 turnovers compared to the Rebels’ 34 and 17, respectively.

“It’s really going to be about a gut check and a level of focus and concentration over a 40-minute period,” Close said. “We started really well tonight, we had a really good third quarter, but can we have more poise and consistency in the middle of the fight? And those are things we have to respond to and get a little better.”