Rice, Betts and UCLA advance to Elite Eight with 80-56 win over Minnesota in March Madness

By Canadian Press on March 27, 2026.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Kiki Rice scored 21 points and Lauren Betts added 16 to help No. 1 seed UCLA beat fourth-seeded Minnesota 80-56 on Friday night in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Bruins (34-1) advanced to play either LSU or Duke in the Sacramento Regional 2 final on Sunday.

UCLA led 34-29 at the half before outscoring Minnesota 19-12 in the third quarter to take a double-digits advantage the Bruins wouldn’t relinquish.

The Golden Gophers (24-9) were making their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2005. They were led by Grace Grocholski with 12 points. Sophie Hart added 11.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Michelle Smith, The Associated Press

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