NCAA women’s Final Four: UCLA 51-44 Texas; South Carolina 62-48 UConn – as it happened
On paper, South Carolina would be favored in the final,They beat an unbeaten and nearly unbeatable team convincingly,But as we’ve seen tonight, when you get the very best teams together in a competitive cauldron, what bubbles to the surface remains to be seen,Until then …Last bit on Auriemma – in the postgame interviews, Auriemma said he doesn’t regret what he said in his in-game interview about the officials, noting that he had a player change her jersey after it was ripped,But that player, Sarah Strong, ripped her own shirt.
Incongruity.One lingering question here – the non-SEC coaches (UConn’s Geno Auriemma, UCLA’s Cori Close) both complained about the referees.Close even called it “rugby” in her in-game interview and now again in her postgame interview.Ilona Maher was at the game.She might like a word.
Will the referees in the final be under pressure to call things more tightly than they typically are in the SEC? Or will the referees shrug it off as the opinions of coaches whose teams don’t have to go through the gauntlet of SEC action? Are SEC games more physical because the referees let things go, or are they more physical because the games are closer?Close (the coach, not the description) gives a lot of praise to Madison Booker.The Bruins made an effort to make her catch the ball more than 12 feet out, and it worked.What a strange night of college basketball.But we have two worthy winners.It’s a 51-44 final for UCLA.
Booker drives but slips and falls.The ball gets to Oldacre for a baseline jumper, but she hits the side of the backboard.Rebound UCLA, and this is over.Rice hits the first.And the second.
UCLA up 49-44.Texas takes its final timeout with 13.3 seconds to play.Kiki Rice pops free to receive the inbounds pass.She’s a 90% free throw shooter.
Texas has to foul her.13.3 left.Texas 44-47 UCLA, 14.8 seconds left: Texas last had the lead when it was 2-0.
UCLA manages to get the ball in to Rice, who races around and is fouled.UCLA isn’t yet in the bonus, so they have to inbounds again.Texas will call timeout before that happens.UCLA calls its final timeout.Could that be costly?47-44, 18.
1 seconds left.Texas has it.Booker drives … blocked by Betts! Replay shows Booker put her entire body between Betts and the ball, and it wasn’t enough.Betts kicks it out under pressure from Oldacre.UCLA takes its time setting up a pick and roll.
It doesn’t quite work, and Dugalic misses.Rebound Texas!We’ll go into quick update mode now.Time remaining will be repeated when I can get it there quickly.Texas 44-47 UCLA, 55 seconds left, fourth quarter: This is also the highest-scoring quarter for Texas in this game.That’s just 12, though.
Oldacre with a magnificent sequence.She gets a defensive rebound, fights off two people trying to steal the ball, then finds herself on the offensive end standing near the free throw line with Betts between her and the basket.She drives straight at Betts and gets it to go.Rori Harmon gets a steal.Jordan Lee scores with tremendous poise under pressure.
It’s a three-point game! UCLA timeout.Texas 40-47 UCLA, 2:18 left, fourth quarter: Oldacre goes to the line, hits the first and misses the second.Texas snares the long rebound, and after a held ball, Booker hits a floater to cut the lead to seven.UCLA’s inbounding woes continue, and they call timeout to avoid the five-second call.Texas 37-47 UCLA, 2:41 left, fourth quarter: UCLA does indeed get possession.
The Bruins have already scored as many points this quarter as they have in any other quarter,Granted, that’s only 14,Betts scores against good defense from Oldacre,What a player,She has 16,Texas 37-45 UCLA, 3:35 left, fourth quarter: Kneepkens gets an extremely fortunate bounce, and her 3-pointer goes in.
Texas with a good entry pass to Lee, who scores for the first time.UCLA tries to throw three-quarters of the length down the court, but Texas picks it off.To the corner for Lee, and it’s good.Now an offensive foul on UCLA, and Cori Close goes ballistic.Replay shows it’s a good call.
Booker drives.Dugalic blocks the shot out of play.It’s initially deemed Texas’ possession, but UCLA challenges and will win it.Texas 32-42 UCLA, 4:40 left, fourth quarter: Booker scores! She had missed 17 straight shots.Jaquez drives into Oldacre, who gladly takes the ball.
The big center has been the best Texas player by some margin tonight.Booker misses.She’s 2 for 20.Texas 30-40 UCLA, 5:50 left, fourth quarter: UCLA lobs the inbounds pass to Betts.Count it.
The lead is 12.Booker tries a turnaround jumper.It won’t go.Texas 30-40 UCLA, 6:22 left, fourth quarter: Texas once again contests a possession call.To the replay we go, and Texas will take advantage of the pause in the action to see if drawing Xs and Os will help them regain their offensive prowess.
And once again, Texas wins the challenge.They’re 3-for-3.If only their shooting percentage was within 60 points of that.Lee throws it behind Booker.Turnover.
Texas 30-40 UCLA, 6:38 left, fourth quarter: This is how bad it’s gotten – Lee drives into the lane for Texas, pulls up her dribble, looks around and finds none of her teammates making an effort to get open.I don’t think it’s a lack of heart or desire.I think it’s shock.They can’t believe what’s happening, and they’ve simply forgotten how to play.Texas 30-40 UCLA, 7:56 left, fourth quarter: First-year player Crump who scores for Texas after the timeout.
Foul at the other end, and now Booker returns.Rice hits both free throws.Texas 28-38 UCLA, 8:30 left, fourth quarter: Betts travels right in front of an official, who missed it.She flings it out to Rice, who drains a 3-pointer.Carlton coughs up the ball.
UCLA races out in transition.Jaquez makes the layup.Ten-point lead and a Texas timeout.One question worth asking: Is Booker hurt? She has been on the bench for 4 1/2 minutes of game time now, and she also got some rest between quarters.Texas 28-33 UCLA, 9:36 left, fourth quarter: Dugalic tries to lob the ball into the post for Betts.
It bangs off the backboard – into Betts’ hands.Cunningham fouls the UCLA center and sends here to the line.She hits both.That’s four fouls on Cunningham.The fewest points UCLA has scored this year was 65, in their loss to Texas.
They would need 34 points in the fourth quarter to match that.Texas had a 64-point game this season.They would need 36.UCLA coach Cori Close blames the referees and feels sorry for the fans.“It’s an ugly basketball game," she says.
“We can’t do anything about that,”Can’t you?More inbounding woes for UCLA, and it’s an offensive foul,The bad news for Texas is that Harmon’s arm is hurt,Texas inbounds to … who else but Carlton? That’s seven quick points for her,The lead is one.
UCLA tries the Hail Mary down the court and … the officials blew this one.Jaquez pulls down the Texas defender but manages to fall down and draw a call.ESPN’s rules analyst defends the call, but I’m not buying it.Jaquez hits the free throws.Harmon tries a shot at the horn, but it won’t go
UK food halls buck downbeat hospitality trend: ‘In this impossible climate, they shine hope’
Beeps chirp through the cavernous Cambridge Street Collective on a busy weekday, as buzzers alert the lunch crowd to collect their sushi tacos, rendang curries or Palestinian chicken musakhan.The Sheffield food hall is Europe’s largest purpose-built venue of its kind, at 20,000 sq ft, and arrived in 2024 as part of a major redevelopment of the city, which has brought in businesses including HSBC.Food halls are on the rise as restaurateurs face a challenging economic climate in which rising energy costs have been exacerbated by US-Israeli attacks on Iran ,and labour costs have spiralled as a result of increases to the minimum wage and national insurance contributions for employers. Many diners are also opting to stay at home as the cost of living bites. But while brick-and-mortar restaurants across the UK are closing, food halls are making money; in major UK cities they average £5
Claim sooner rather than later, experts urge, after £7.5bn car loan compensation scheme launched
Complain now to be at the front of the queue. That is the message from the City regulator and the consumer champion Martin Lewis as a scheme gets under way to pay out about £7.5bn in total to millions of motorists mis-sold car loans.More information emerged this week about how much money the different categories of people might get and how it will all work after Monday’s announcement that an industry-wide compensation scheme for victims of the UK’s car finance scandal is definitely going ahead.Here are five main takeaways: Technically it’s two schemes
Google to tap into gas plant for AI datacenter in sharp turn from climate goals
Google’s plan for a partnership with a natural gas power plant that could provide energy for one of its datacenters in Texas was unearthed by new research and confirmed by the company. The move is part of an ongoing about-face for the tech giant, which once pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has long been seen as a pioneer in clean energy.The gas power plant is slated to be built in Armstrong county, a sparsely populated area in the Texas panhandle. According to a report by the research organization Cleanview, the project is being led by Crusoe Energy, which partnered with Google to develop the datacenter campus known as “Goodnight”, named after a nearby town.Crusoe filed for a permit in January to build the 933-megawatt power plant on the site of the Goodnight campus, which showed the facility would operate off the grid and provide energy to at least two buildings on the campus, according to Cleanview
Court dismisses former WhatsApp security chief’s lawsuit against Meta
A US court has dismissed a lawsuit from WhatsApp’s former security chief, who alleged that parent company Meta ignored internal flaws he flagged about the messaging app’s digital defenses.Abdullah Baig, who claims he was fired in retaliation for raising these concerns, had alleged that billions of users had been put at risk because of these vulnerabilities. Thousands of employees could view sensitive user data, including profile photos and location, Baig claimed in the lawsuit filed in September. A judge ruled he had not presented enough evidence to move forward.The US district court in northern California ruled last month to dismiss Baig’s claims, with the judge, Laurel Beeler, writing on 19 March that “the complaint does not contain sufficient facts to show that the plaintiff reported violations of SEC rules or regulations
The Boat Races 2026: Cambridge men cruise to victory, Oxford women end losing streak – as it happened
With Luke McLaughlin’s report in, that’s all from me. Thanks for tuning in.Jamie Laing offers his commiserations to Cambridge’s men before realising his mistake. The crew get up on the platform and Noam Mouelle – now a four-time winner of the race – leads the celebrations.Time for the presentation: Oxford’s women are up on the stage
Oxford women and Cambridge men seal Boat Race triumphs in choppy waters
Oxford’s women ended eight years of Cambridge dominance in their Boat Race with a sensational performance led by the Olympic medallist Heidi Long, while Cambridge overpowered their dark-blue rivals in the men’s race after a fiercely contested opening for a fourth consecutive win.On a windy and largely overcast day in London, Oxford’s women forged a lead as soon as the first race of the day sped away from Putney and led by about six seconds at Hammersmith Bridge. Tens of thousands of fans cheered the boats on from the riverside, lining the 6.8km course all the way.The water was exceptionally rough in the later part of the course and Matt Moran, the Cambridge cox, steered into calmer waters on the left-hander by Chiswick Eyot, taking the inside line and forcing Oxford to respond
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