UCLA completed a dominant March run Sunday, routing South Carolina 79-51 to capture the program’s first NCAA women’s basketball championship since entering the national field in 1981. The Bruins finished 37-1, extending a season-opening loss into a 31-game winning streak capped by a Final Four victory over Texas.
The win was powered by a balanced inside-out attack. Senior center Lauren Betts (6-foot-7) anchored the paint with 14 points and 11 rebounds, recording a double-double and helping control the glass despite an early scare when she needed treatment on the bench after appearing to be struck near the throat. Gabriela Jaquez led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added 10 rebounds for her own national-title-game double-double.
UCLA seized momentum from the outset, closing the opening quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 21-10. The Gamecocks stayed within striking distance in the second period but trailed 36-23 at halftime. The Bruins then pulled away decisively in the third, outscoring South Carolina by 16 and putting the championship largely out of reach.
South Carolina, which entered the game 36-4, saw its season end as national runner-up for the second straight year after its 2023–24 title run. Dawn Staley’s squad struggled to find answers as UCLA’s size and depth wore them down.
Head coach Cori Close, in her 15th season at UCLA, reached the summit after steadily building the program. After early setbacks that included three missed NCAA Tournaments in her first four seasons, Close transformed UCLA into a consistent postseason presence, making the field in nine of the next 10 years. She credited the program’s values and long-term development for the breakthrough, citing lessons drawn from her mentor John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” and stressing the importance of the players’ character and relationships beyond trophies.
The roster that delivered this season returned four of five starters from last year’s First Four-to-First-Four surge and added senior transfer Gianna Kneepkins from Utah. Coach Close also adjusted lineups, shifting senior Angela Dugalic into a primary bench role that provided scoring and leadership.
A campus celebration is set for Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion, with university officials saying the free event’s particulars are still being finalized.
For UCLA, Sunday’s victory is more than a title — it’s the culmination of a long rebuild and a first national championship that players, coaches and fans have chased for decades.