PHOENIX — There would be no offensive showcase between UCLA and Texas on Friday night, a slog of a game that ended up as one of the lowest scoring in women’s Final Four history. The Bruins did just enough to give themselves a chance to win the first NCAA championship in school history.

Behind Lauren Betts and a defensive performance that stifled Madison Booker and the Longhorns, UCLA held off a late Texas run and avenged its only loss of the season 51-44 in the semifinals, setting up a title game showdown against South Carolina on Sunday afternoon.

UCLA, which has won 30 straight games since losing to Texas on Nov. 26, reached the title game for the first time in program history, though the Bruins did win the AIAW Large College championship in 1978.

For the Bruins, it felt a bit like redemption, not only because they fell to Texas 76-65 in November, but also because their Final Four showing last year as the No. 1 overall seed ended in an 85-51 blowout loss to UConn. UCLA coach Cori Close told reporters in the leadup to Friday’s game that she had done a “crappy job as a leader.” Players vowed to do better.

They did, but nothing about the victory was pretty. UCLA, which averages 85.1 points, had its fair share of issues scoring on the stifling Texas defense. UCLA had 23 turnovers, the most in a Final Four game since April 8, 2008, when Stanford had 24 against Tennessee.

But Texas fared worse, looking nothing like the team that had reeled off 12 straight wins after a loss to Vanderbilt in November in which coach Vic Schaefer questioned his team’s toughness.

Texas could not hit an open shot for long stretches, and Booker struggled, finishing 3-of-23 from the field with just six points. It was a stark contrast to their win over the Bruins in November, when Booker had 16 points and Rori Harmon had 26.

In that game, Betts scored only eight points. She was determined to change that in Friday’s rematch, and in a game in which points were at a premium, she did enough to assert her presence in the paint to be a difference-maker. Betts led UCLA with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Given the scoring issues for both teams, the game stayed tight through the first three quarters. UCLA led 31-28 leaded into the fourth, but a 7-0 run broke the game open, keyed by a 3-pointer from Kiki Rice at the 9:04 mark and then a layup by Gabriela Jaquez to give the Bruins a double-digit lead.

UCLA led by 13 points with 4:36 to play, but Texas whittled that lead down to 47-44 with 55.8 seconds remaining, as its defensive intensity forced UCLA to turn the ball over and miss shots. Following a missed jumper by Angela Dugalic with 30 seconds left, Booker went for a layup, but Betts blocked the shot with 20 seconds remaining. Rice made two free throws with 13.3 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

UCLA set the defensive tone early in the game, contesting nearly every shot and holding Texas to just six first-quarter points — tied for the second-fewest points in a quarter in the Final Four since quarters were adopted in 2016. But in the second quarter, the Bruins scored just six points themselves.

It all added up to becoming just the third time in Final Four history that the teams combined for fewer than 100 points in a game.

But what does that matter when you are standing on the verge of school history?

South Carolina’s stunning upset win over UConn in the Final Four on Friday night was overshadowed by a bizarre incident between Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley and Huskies coach Geno Auriemma — two of the all-time greats — just before the final buzzer. 

The Gamecocks were up by 14 and running out the clock. Before UConn inbounded the ball to officially end the game, however, Auriemma started walking toward the South Carolina bench. As he passed by Staley, tempers suddenly flared. 

Both parties had to be held back by their respective coaching staffs and the officials, and the game was slightly delayed. When the game finally did end, Auriemma walked off without acknowledging anyone on the South Carolina side. 

ESPN reporter Kareem Copleland captured a courtside video in which Dawn Staley appears to say “I will beat Geno’s ass” after the two were separated. 

Staley, in a postgame interview with ESPN, said she thought maybe Auriemma was upset about a lack of pregame handshake between the two coaches. The two did shake hands at some point pregame, but Auriemma waited for another handshake right before tip-off and never got one.

“I have no idea. But I’m gonna let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity,” Staley said. “So if I did something wrong to Geno — I don’t know what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand. I don’t know what he came with after the game. Sometimes, things get heated. We move on.”

Added Auriemma: “For 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours,” he said. “The protocol is before the game, you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker. I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”

When asked about the fact that the two did shake hands, Auriemma dismissed the question.

“No, I think you missed the point of what I’m talking about, so… I’d rather not go into it,” Auriemma said. “Anybody that’s been in the NCAA tournament, you know what I’m talking about.”

Staley didn’t want to take away from her team’s accomplishment after the game. 

“You can ask Geno the question. He’s the one that initiated the conversation,” Staley said during her press conference. “I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”

Auriemma’s frustration started well before his confrontation with Staley. During his interview with Holly Rowe between the third and fourth quarters, Auriemma ranted about the refs and called out Staley’s behavior on the sideline. 

After the game, Auriemma kept up his complaints. 

“There were six fouls called that quarter – all of them against us. And they’ve been beating the shit out of our guys down there the entire game. And I’m not making excuses because we haven’t been able to make a shot, but this is ridiculous,” Auriemma said. “Their coach [Staley] rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referees some names you don’t want to hear. And now we get six to zero and I’ve a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ C’mon man. This is for the national championship.”

Auriemma closed his press conference by circling back to his thoughts about the officiating and Staley’s sideline conduct. 

“I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard,” Auriemma said. “I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed. So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it. So yeah, I was pretty frustrated.”

UConn’s stunning loss ended the Huskies’ perfect season, their 54-game winning streak (which was tied for the fourth-longest all time) and their quest for back-to-back championships. No team has won back-to-back titles since UConn won four in a row from 2013-16. 

South Carolina will play UCLA in the national championship on Sunday. This is the Gamecocks’ third consecutive appearance in the national championship game, and they are seeking their fourth title under Staley. 

The NBA is investigating the Milwaukee Bucks for their handling of the player participation policy and potential inconsistent statements regarding the health of Giannis Antetokounmpo, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday.

Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have told league investigators different stories. Antetokounmpo has informed the Bucks and the NBA that he wants to play, but the team will not medically clear him, sources told Charania. Milwaukee informed the league that it doesn’t believe Antetokounmpo is ready and actually wants to play, sources said.

Antetokounmpo, who has not played since he hyperextended his left knee against the Pacers on March 15, spoke to reporters before Friday’s 133-101 loss to the Boston Celtics in Milwaukee and reiterated he is healthy and ready to play.

“I’m available to play, but I’m not in the game,” Antetokounmpo told reporters Friday. “I’m available to play today. Right now. I’m available.”

Antetokounmpo missed his 10th straight game Friday night because of a hyperextended knee and bone bruise. A few days after the injury, sources told Charania that the Bucks wanted to shut down Antetokounmpo for the rest of the season and that he refused the team’s request and wanted to play again this season.

The National Basketball Players Association issued a rebuke of the Bucks late last month, with a statement implying Milwaukee is “tanking” and damaging the league’s integrity.

The Bucks were eliminated from postseason contention March 28, marking the first time since 2016 that they will miss the playoffs.

The league has interviewed Antetokounmpo, the Bucks and team doctors, sources told ESPN.

“For somebody to come and tell me to not play or not to compete, it’s like a slap in my face,” Antetokounmpo told reporters Friday. “So, I don’t know where the relationship goes from there.”

Antetokounmpo, 31, has appeared in 36 games this season, by far the fewest he has played in any season of his career. He has dealt with two calf strains, an adductor strain and a knee hyperextension this season.

Since he was injured March 15, Antetokounmpo said the Bucks have not approached him about playing again. Coach Doc Rivers said last week that Antetokounmpo had not practiced. But before home games, Antetokounmpo has been going through his usual pregame routine, working up the intensity in those workouts to make a statement, according to team sources.

The Bucks have five regular-season games remaining.

Information from ESPN’s Jamal Collier was used in this report.