PHOENIX — With under four minutes left to go in the 2026 NCAA women’s national championship game, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice were subbed out of the game, headed to their bench and hugged their head coach Cori Close. Seconds later, senior Gabriela Jaquez hits a 3-point shot to give the Bruins a 79-45 lead. Jaquez then heads to the bench to be subbed out, waves her hands in the air to pump up the UCLA crowd and braces for a hug with Close. The UCLA student section was yelling “MVP, MVP.” In a matchup where heading into the game, they were considered the underdogs, facing a South
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