The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) women's team advanced this Friday to its first game for the NCAA national championship and was so led by a Spanish and a Mexican.

UCLA, with a defensive clinic, defeated the Longhorns 51-44 Texas in the NCAA Final Four being held in Phoenix. The Bruins will compete for the national title against South Carolina on Sunday.

The Bruins improved to a 36-1 record on the season and avenged their lone loss, which they suffered at the hands of Texas in November. With this, the largest university in Los Angeles is aiming for another NCAA championship after the 11 won by its men's team (a record number).

After a scare, Lauren Betts closes out the game for UCLA

Lauren Betts, the star center for UCLA and a native of Vitoria, Basque Country, lived up to expectations after a monster season. The 22-year-old scored 16 points (7 of 10), grabbed 11 rebounds, had 3 assists and 3 blocks in a very physical game that UCLA won to reach 30 consecutive victories. A block by Betts on Madison Booker when Texas was down by only 3 points with 21 seconds remaining was the key play in this tremendous defensive battle. It should be noted that Betts had received a dangerous hit in the second half of the game when Booker collided with her, causing the violent leg collision. Although he was able to continue, Betts lost some composure, and the Longhorns took advantage to get back into the game after being down by 15 points.

Gabriela Jaquez, UCLA's indispensable warrior

Another protagonist of UCLA's victory was Mexican-American guard Gabriela Jaquez, who contributed 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Jaquez, born in the Los Angeles area, is one of the six seniors on the squad coached by Cori Close and a key player in the Bruins' success due to her energy on the court.

The younger sister of Jaime Jaquez Jr., star of the Miami Heat,He will have the opportunity on Sunday to achieve something the former Mexican national team player could not: a national championship.

The most telling statistic of this defensive battle in Phoenix was UCLA's success in stifling the Longhorns' leading scorer: Madison Booker was held to just 6 points after going 3-for-23 from the field.

South Carolina snaps Connecticut's 54-game winning streak

In the other semifinal, South Carolina defeated Connecticut 62-48 to snap the Huskies' 54-game winning streak, including 38-0 this season. UConn beat South Carolina in the national final a year earlier.

Friday's game was marked by a heated exchange between the head coaches of both teams with one second remaining.

Geno Auriemma, the legendary Connecticut coach, confronted Dawn Staley, the South Carolina coach, for not attending the traditional pre-game handshake, causing a tense and unusual scene.