Cori Close Struggles to Make Eye Contact With Reporters as She Gets Crystal Clear About UCLA’s 34-Point Final Four Defeat

Recording a meteoric 34-margin—the highest ever in the women’s Final Four history, the Huskies dances through the Finale. There was much hype around the UConn vs UCLA matchup in the Final Four. Multiple narratives and theories were running before the match, but the only thing that mattered the most was performance on the court. UConn dominated that part—the whole of it. The 85-51 score says it all, and a few theories connected to UConn’s victory and Paige Bueckers get extension till coming Sunday, till the final game of the Women’s division.

Everyone was looking at another Paige spectacle after 105 points in the last three games. But the WNBA-bound star had a quiet night with 16 points, while freshman Sarah Strong and shooting guard Azzi Fudd took over the game, combining 41 points for Geno Auriemma’s team. The Huskies’ pace was too hot to handle for the Bruins, who nearly lost the fire midway in the third quarter of the game.

13 steals, 19 turnovers forced and above 38.5% shooting probably summed up the game for UCLA, who entered the game with energy and left the arena with their heads down, smiles lost and many questions in their mind. It was a coaching clinic. Geno Auriemma ran circles around Cori Close. More importantly, his seniors didn’t need to put in extra effort for him to succeed in the game.

People heavily criticized UCLA Coach Cori Close’s tactics and use of resources. Even though her side was not clinical in their previous wins, Lauren Betts or Kiki Rice bailed out the team with their powerful performances. There was no such show at Amalie Arena. Cory Close reflected on the game in the post-game interview and, sad to say, she was looking to avoid any eye contact with reporters.

“We didn’t show up and do our jobs,” Close remarked at the postgame press conference. It was raw and honest. “Credit to UConn. They were the aggressors. They played more purposefully.” Cory said, just looking down at the stat paper. “They played more connected. They were tougher than us tonight. They handed it to us.”

Frankly, Cory Close was emotional and seems to have taken the game to her heart. Her side created history by reaching the Final Four and obviously it hurts to lose a game so close to the championship. “We got exposed. We got out-touched. We got our but-s beat today,” Close added. “And it stings right now. And may the pain of that regret and this loss … if handled well, buy us a ticket to be better the next time, hopefully we get this opportunity.”

Star player Lauren Betts was also ‘shocked’, maybe by the large margin. No one thought it would be so—a one-sided contest after watching both sides’ route to the semis. “The biggest surprise was just how crazy all of this is,” said center Lauren Betts, who tried to carry the Bruins with 26 points. “They really put on a show for all of us, which is really cool and I never experienced that before. … But I feel like I knew how big of a deal this game was and I feel like I tried to show it for the most part.”  

What’s next for Cori Close and UCLA side after the upset loss vs UConn

The ‘loss’ result will remain in the books forever now, and yet there are many positives to take from the season. The side featured a school record for wins, a Big-10 Championship, the first appearance in a national semifinal since 1979 and the program’s first No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. But after closing the chapter following the loss, the side needs to pick itself up and get ready for the next challenges.

One of the important aspects to address would be to retain the core. The good thing about the 2024-25 UCLA Bruins side? The cornerstones of the program—Rice, Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Jones still have a chance to show their full potential. All of them are eligible to return next year. Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice have been Bruins’ pillars and retaining them would be Close’s priority. Adding complementary pieces would solidify their title chances in the next season.

Lauren Betts already showed fire ignited after the loss. In the conference, she mentioned, “I hope this fuels us and I hope that we come out angry after this.” When asked about their future plans, both Kiki and Betts responded with better preparations—both mental, physical and skill-set wise will be looked into. Betts called out her team to show up in games like these in the future.

As for Cory, she was happy with the season but vowed to become a good leader and will look to raise a (championship) banner. While UCLA will have time to build on a productive season, it will be interesting to see whether Betts and Rice will be part of the Cory dream-winning team.