This post was updated April 6 at 8:58 p.m.

TAMPA, Fla. – To shut down the Bruins, opponents have double- or even triple-teamed Lauren Betts.

The Trojans – the only team that beat the Bruins in the regular season – found a way to limit the junior center to 18 and 11 points in the team’s two regular-season meetings, respectively.

But the Huskies did just that and more. 

The Huskies’ 6-foot-5 center Jana El Alfy smacked the ball away from the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year on repeat. Junior guard Kiki Rice struggled to penetrate the arc. Junior forward Janiah Barker lunged at players who faked her out and passed the ball out of bounds.

Nothing went right for No. 1 seed UCLA women’s basketball (34-3, 16-2 Big Ten), which was wholly obliterated by No. 2 seed UConn (36-3, 18-0 Big East) in its first Final Four appearance in the NCAA era – sending itself swiftly back to Westwood empty-handed. The 85-51 defeat was the largest winning margin in NCAA Final Four history.

“They were tougher than us tonight,” said coach Cori Close. “They handed it to us.”

Perhaps the only thing the Bruins did seize in Tampa, Florida, was their lowest output this season. 

The narrative in the early goings remained largely unchanged –  UConn found a swift lead early, ending the first 10 minutes with a 10-point margin. 

Nothing faltered after that point. 

Betts – UCLA’s 6-foot-7 center and only trusted asset Friday night – shot just 50% in the first quarter compared to her overall 64.9% average. Despite being stuffed in the paint, she continued on her team-leading trend and gathered more than half of UCLA’s first-half points.

“Their interior presence with Lauren Betts – but obviously they’ve got great pieces around her, great pieces off the bench,” said UConn star guard Paige Bueckers. “We wanted to take away their 3s, but we also wanted to make things hard for Lauren Betts.”

Turnover woes plagued the first frame, with six Bruins – including Betts – committing one of their own. Troubles only amplified through the remainder of the first half as the Bruins neared their game-average 15.3 turnovers, with 14 after only 20 minutes. 

“Turnovers are really what killed us in the first half,” Rice said. “It was difficult for us to get in rhythm both offensively and defensively. We had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers.”

The Bruins went on to commit 19 on the night.

But the Huskies shut down more than just the Bruins’ leading scorer – they shut down the offensive almost completely. 

UCLA couldn’t get up a single shot in the second quarter until – of course – Betts came to the rescue. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Lisa Leslie Center of the Year broke her team’s dry spell almost halfway into the frame. And in a fashion that illustrated UCLA’s effort the whole night, an incomplete, out-of-bounds pass followed Betts’ breakthrough. 

Only three players other than Betts made dents on the scoreboard heading into intermission. And after that, UConn nearly doubled UCLA’s score to gleefully jog into the locker rooms up 42-22.

“We need to show up more prepared and ready to win,” Betts said. “We have the same team coming next year, and I hope this fuels us – and I hope we come out angry.”

Narratives tend to change in the locker room – a chance to regroup, reassess and revamp. 

But that didn’t seem to be the case for UCLA.

The same four Bruins who had scored in the first half were the only ones to have points on the board until the two-minute mark of the third frame. 

3-point shots by junior forwards Barker and Timea Gardiner marked the transfer duo’s first – and only – points on the night and the end of an almost teamwide field goal dry spell. 

Betts, the stalwart UCLA proved perhaps too reliant on, was the only other Bruin to score from the field, with Rice adding 3 points from the free throw line. The rest of the team watched along as the Huskies pushed to a 23-point lead entering the final quarter. 

“I always talk about how there’s so much room to improve,” Betts said. “Just continuing to create easier shots for myself where I don’t have to put the ball on the ground and bring in double teams.” 

And despite all efforts, UCLA put up just 13 points in the final 10 minutes of its season – eight of which, of course, were attributed to Betts. 

UConn broke the 30-point lead barrier. It seemed a mark always bound to be – just a question of when it’d materialize. Meanwhile, UCLA put up just 51 points compared to its 78.6 game average and 79-point average in March Madness.

“It sucks right now, but looking back, I’ll do my best – and we’ll all do our best to not forget what a fantastic year this was,” Rice said. “So many firsts in program history. To be in the Final Four and to be still playing at this time of year is a blessing.”