"LSU who?" - UCLA's Avary Cain takes shots at Kim Mulkey's Tigers following Elite Eight win

The No. 1 UCLA Bruins defeated the No. 3 LSU Tigers 72-65 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Bruins will play in their first-ever Final Four in the Big Dance.

Despite not playing in the game, UCLA guard Avary Cain posted a clip on her Instagram stories trash-talking the Tigers while in the tunnel after the game.

"We just whooped that a**," Cain said. "LSU who? LS who?"

It was an ill-tempered game with crushing physicality. The Tigers beat the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 last season with the help of former star Angel Reese.

The roles were reversed this season and there was a moment of controversy in a play involving Bruins star Lauren Betts when Aneesah Morrow collided with teammate Sa'Myah Smith and left the court with a bloodied nose.

UCLA 'toughened up' to beat LSU

During their postgame news conferences, Bruins players highlighted the aspect of dealing with the Tigers' physicality, which overwhelmed them last year. Kiki Rice pointed out how they worked on their toughness all season.

"I think it's character," Rice said. "All season we've talked about how our talent is our floor and our character is our ceiling. And for us to go and tap into that toughness and to just be the tougher team every single day out there on the court is really the difference for us."

The Tigers were once again physical inside the paint, limiting UCLA to just 32% of shots made within the paint (16.0 points) while they were averaging 53% before the game. That smothering defense involved marshalling Lauren Betts, who finished the encounter with 17 points, six rebounds and one assist.

During her postgame news conference, Betts highlighted toughness as a factor in the Bruins winning the game.

"There were lots of things that we could have gotten down about this game," Betts said. "I think we were just all mentally prepared, and we've toughened up since midseason ... as teammates."

The Bruins adapted to the flow of the game and shot 65% from outside the paint and according to ESPN, 20 of their 24 3-point attempts were uncontested as the Tigers focused on defending the paint.

The UCLA Bruins will face the winner of the game between the No. 1 USC Trojans and the No. 2 UConn Huskies in the Final Four for a chance to compete for their first national title since 1978, when women's basketball was outside the administration of the NCAA.