"Hitting that transfer portal at 7 a.m SHARP": Fans react as Lauren Betts shines despite UCLA's lackluster effort in 34-point loss to UConn

Despite her impressive performance, UCLA center Lauren Betts was unable to stem the No. 2-seeded UConn Huskies' dominance as the No. 1-seeded Bruins were beaten 85-51 in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. Betts tallied 26 points, five rebounds and one assist.

Betts was the only Bruins player to tally double-digit points, with Kiki Rice the next best with eight points in a game dominated by the Huskies' big three of Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd.

UCLA committed 19 turnovers and converted only four 3-pointers in the game, and during her postgame news conference, Lauren Betts took responsibility for the defeat.

"I just think we need to show up more prepared and ready to win. And that has nothing to do with the coaches. That's everything to do with us," Betts said. "I hope this fuels us and I hope that we come out angry after this."

It was not the first time the Bruins' shooting at the Big Dance had let them down after shooting woefully in the Sweet 16 loss to the LSU Tigers last season.

College basketball fans on X had mixed reactions to Betts still dominating the game despite not getting much help from her supporting cast, which includes the standout Kiki Rice.

Some fans pointed out the work that Betts has done to drag the Bruins to the Final Four.

"Lauren was a bright spot in a horrible game!" One fan tweeted.

"Lauren Betts deserves a chance to slap everyone on her team for leaving her out to dry like that no help tonight," another fan tweeted.

"My heart breaks for Lauren betts. Her teammates failed her," one fan tweeted.

Lauren Betts had a dominant season for UCLA

Lauren Betts had a dominant season for the UCLA Bruins, averaging 20.0 points on 64.9% shooting from the floor, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in total blocks (99) and blocks per game (3.0).

On Tuesday, she also won the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year, which is awarded to the best defensive player in the country. She was also one of the five finalists for the prestigious Wooden Award, which was announced on Tuesday.

During her postgame news conference, UConn star Paige Bueckers detailed the difficulty of defending Betts.

"Betts is a problem. She's not an easy person to guard," Bueckers said. "So for them to play with the effort that they did tonight, the attention to detail and discipline, it was amazing to watch."

With Betts on the team, Cori Close's UCLA Bruins have steadily improved. This season, they won the Big Ten Tournament and made their first Final Four appearance in program history.