This post was updated March 30 at 9:25 p.m.

When Lauren Betts blocked guard Flau’jae Johnson’s first shot, the Bruins’ bench erupted. Five seconds later, the Defensive Player of the Year did it again, and chants of “Betts” echoed throughout Spokane Arena.

However, after receiving two fouls in the first frame for the first time in her career, the junior center found the bench for the entirety of the second quarter.

It was the depth of UCLA’s roster that found and kept the lead.

No. 1 seed UCLA women’s basketball (33-2, 16-2 Big Ten) defeated No. 3 seed LSU (31-6, 12-4 SEC) 72-65 in Spokane, Washington. The win marks the first time in program history that the team has received a Final Four berth and exactly a year since the Bruins’ March Madness dreams came to an end by the same opponent.

“This is what we’re talking about when we have a deep team,” Betts said. “I don’t have to be in the game at all times, and I have a team full of players who are just amazing and talented in their own right.”

Junior forward Timea Gardiner entered the match during the second frame having scored zero points in UCLA’s Sweet Sixteen match against No. 5 seed Mississippi. But within the 10 minutes, she sank three 3-point shots to push UCLA to a 6-point lead at the half.

Alongside the Oregon State transfer was fellow junior forward and Texas A&M transfer Janiah Barker. The junior forward and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year started the second quarter for the Bruins, matching Bett’s six-point first-quarter performance.

“One person goes down, another person steps up,” Gardiner said. “We have a deep team, and everyone is ready when the numbers call, so we truly did that, and we found each other, and we just played off each other, and we just had fun.”

While Betts etched the Bruins’ first marks on the board with a layup during the first quarter, the second basket of the game foreshadowed junior forward Gabriela Jaquez’s step-up performance.

Jaquez, said to be a “Swiss Army Knife” by coach Cori Close, quickly found her first of four 3-point makes when an assist from junior guard Kiki Rice broke back-and-forth possessions to give Jaquez a sunk perimeter shot.

“We talked about if Lauren takes it out, you have got to be a ready shooter,” Jaquez said. “I just got to stay ready at all times, and I knew that’s the right shot I needed to take, and I had confidence in myself when shooting because I put in the work.”

This would be one of the three fast breaks UCLA garnered in the first quarter.

In UCLA’s top scorer’s absence, Jaquez gave the Bruins their first lead of the second frame. Gardiner then etched her second 3-pointer of the game to extend the lead to the largest point differential of the matchup thus far. Shooting 50% from beyond the arc for the first time this season, the Bruins maintained their distance from the paint and their lead.

Despite leading with 10 turnovers for the half – four less than their season game average – the Bruins beat out the Tigers in fast breaks, leading 31-25 at the half.

“If you would have said, ‘Hey, you’re going to win this game by hitting 10 3s,’ I would have told you you’re crazy,” Close said. “This is the lowest field goal percentage we’ve had in a really long time, but I love it in the fact that we’ve always said it’s going to be about selflessness and work ethic.”

Then, Betts was back.

The center found the net within seconds, extending the Bruins’ lead to 33-25. But despite having its paint principal back, the perimeter was still active as junior guard Londynn Jones sank her first 3-pointer of the match.

Then, Jaquez found another 3-pointer to tie her career record at four.

Betts’ absence gave way for the perimeter to see Bruin action, surpassing their season average of .3222. However, it made way for LSU to lead in the paint with 16 points compared to the Bruins’ 14.

Despite the Tigers chipping away at the Bruins’ lead to end the match, the Bruins ultimately earned their ticket to Tampa, Florida.