UCLA women enjoy 'home-court advantage' during Final Four run

SACRAMENTO, CA ― UCLA has felt right at home during its second consecutive Women's NCAA Tournament run to a Final Four. The Bruins lucked out, being the only team in the Final Four that hasn't had to change time zones throughout March Madness. UCLA has played every round in the Pacific time zone, beginning with the first and second rounds on their home court at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight were played in Sacramento, California, which is a little more than an hour flight or a five- to six-hour drive. Again, Bruins fans, students and alumni traveled to pack the Golden 1 Center. They "showed up and showed out.

" In their Elite Eight game against Duke, there were 9,627 people in attendance, nearly half the max capacity of Golden 1 Center. Still, it sounded as if it were jam-packed for a Sacramento Kings game the way fans cheered for their SoCal squad. It served the Bruins well on the court.

They were down in the contest against Duke but fed off the energy of the friendly fans to stage a comeback and ultimately take a lead in the second half which they never relinquished. "Just tremendous," UCLA forward Angela Dugalic told USA TODAY Sports about the crowd presence. "I'm so happy that we got an opportunity to play.