Duke has a quick turnaround after Ashlon Jackson’s buzzer-beater as UCLA looms in Elite Eight
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson and Duke are trying to turn the page on their March Madness moment that advanced the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season.
Jackson and her teammates didn’t get much sleep after her buzzer-beating 3-pointer continued Duke’s season.
“I’ve been just trying to stay present. Try to stay where my feet are,” Jackson said. “I’ve gotten back to some people. I plan to get back to as many people as I can, but just trying to take it all in.”
The Blue Devils have less than 48 hours to get ready for top-seeded UCLA in the Sacramento 2 Regional.
“There’s a quick turnaround no doubt,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “How do we turn the page? We just talk about it and physically turn it. I haven’t spoken to them yet about the game. I haven’t watched film yet. … We let them sleep and then came in here.”
The team has a tall task ahead of playing No. 1 seed UCLA and star center Lauren Betts. The third-seeded Blue Devils are trying to make their first trip to the Final Four since 2006. Duke (27-8) has been to the regional final five times in the past 20 years since they lost to Maryland in the title game and were beaten in each one, including a four-point defeat to South Carolina last season.
“The Final Four would be a great accomplishment,” Lawson said. “We’re such a proud program. We’ve had so many great players that have come through our program. These players have such a special place in my heart, for the players on this current team because, they took a chance on me.”
To reach that elusive Final Four, the Blue Devils will have to find a way to stop a talented UCLA team that is trying to get back to the national semifinals for the second consecutive season. The two teams met in November and UCLA won easily without Betts or her sister Sienna.
The Bruins jumped out to a 30-7 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
Both teams are different now. Duke has won 24 of 26 games after starting the season 3-6. The Bruins ran through the Big Ten regular season and tournament en route to winning 34 of its 35 games this season. The lone loss came to Texas in the same Las Vegas tournament they beat Duke.
“These are two completely different teams even though we played in November,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “Credit to them. They’ve done a marvelous job with their team, the connectivity they are playing with.”
UCLA (34-1) had a sluggish first half against Minnesota in the Sweet 16 before taking control in the second half.
Veteran leadership
This is the last ride for six seniors on UCLA’s squad. Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Angela Dugalic will hope to end it with the school’s first national championship.
Having so many veterans, some who have been at the school their entire career and others who have joined as transfers over the years, makes life easier for Close. The coach can let them be the voice at times.
“One thing that helps us is having a lot of seniors out there on the court who had played a lot of basketball,” Leger-Walker said. “We understand this moment and the details and everything we’ve done to get to this point matters. You have to be collectively locked in. We do a good job of reminding each other to stay present.”
Key post matchup
The matchup between Lauren Betts and Toby Fournier will be one to watch with two of the top players in the country squaring off. Fournier led Duke with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss in November. She had 22 points in the win over LSU on Friday night.
The 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts is averaging 17.1 points and 8.6 rebounds this season while shooting 57.7% from the field.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness