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Social Media Reacts To A Misstep Against Minnesota

The Bruins were able to get past Minnesota, but social media needs to see more in the Elite Eight.
Nathan Berry|
Mar 27, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close during a Sweet Sixteen game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Sacramento Regional 2 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Mar 27, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close during a Sweet Sixteen game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Sacramento Regional 2 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

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UCLA Bruins

The Bruins were entering the Sweet Sixteen as the overall worst performing one seed, and they had the opportunity to switch things up and gain some momentum against the four seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers.

They were able to get a win in the end, but many aspects of the game were much closer than they needed to be, and social media saw everything and had some things to say about it before UCLA plays in the Elite Eight.

Some Concerns Arising After Minnesota: The First Quarter

The first quarter saw the Bruins playing like themselves, as their defense was sound by only allowing ten points to the Golden Gophers, and their offense was at the level it needed to be.

They exited the first quarter with an eight point lead, 18-10, and social media wasn't upset to have the lead, but not certainly were not jumping for joy.

Some Concerns Arising After Minnesota: The Second Quarter

The second quarter actually ended up being worse than the first, as the Bruins defense that had been keeping them in the lead started to falter, with Minnesota managing to score 19 points.

Furthemore UCLA did something that they rarely did in the regular season, yet have managed to do multiple times in the tournament, by being outscored in the second quarter.

They still had the lead going into halftime, but concerns were beginning to take the forefront of social media's thoughts, and UCLA needed to change something to get back on track.

Some Concerns Arising After Minnesota: The Third Quarter

Cori Close was able to get her team fired up in the locker-room, and it showed in their offense as they nearly scored 20 points despite still missing many easy layups.

Their defense was also getting back on track a bit, allowing just 12 points from the Golden Gophers and extending their lead to 53-41, which did much to restore social media's faith in the team.

Some Concerns Arising After Minnesota: The Fourth Quarter

As they have done many times this season, the Bruins were able to blow the game open in the final ten minutes of play, scoring 27 points despite having been held to under 20 every other quarter by Minnesota.

They ended up winning 80-56 and advancing to the Elite Eight, but some of social media will need to see a better performance in their next match to believe that they can go on a championship run while the rest of it celebrates.

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Nathan Berry
NATHAN BERRY

Nathan Berry is a senior at NCCS and was raised a Michigan State Spartan fan. With a great interest in sports and writing, journalism is a great avenue to pursue both.