Kiki Rice held the ball in the final moments before joining her teammates in a joyous mob just inside the three-point line, everyone hopping in celebration.
Cori Close walked around the Pauley Pavilion court and pointed toward the crowd with both fingers, repeatedly saying, “Thank you!”
For UCLA, this was especially sweet.
Once down by 10 points in the third quarter and seemingly out of answers, the second-seeded Bruins stormed back for a breathless 67-63 victory over seventh-seeded Creighton in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Monday evening.
UCLA (27-6) will face third-seeded Louisiana State, the defending national champion, in a regional semifinal Saturday at MVP Arena in Albany, N.