UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim first NCAA women’s basketball title

PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) - Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points, Lauren Betts added 16, and UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 Sunday to win its first NCAA championship in women’s basketball.

The near-record lopsided victory completed the Bruins’ journey through this year’s March Madness that started following a loss to UConn in last season’s Final Four. The Bruins ran through their opponents this season, with their only loss coming in November, to Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament.

UCLA (37-1) was led by Betts and her fellow seniors and graduate students, like Jaquez, who played all four years with the Bruins. She also had 10 rebounds and five assists in front of her brother, Jaime, who plays for the Miami Heat and flew in to attend the game to watch his alma mater win.

The group that coach Cori Close put together through a combination of high school commitments and transfer portal players capped off their stellar careers with a championship. The title is UCLA’s first since winning the 1978 AIAW championship, which was the postseason tournament for women’s basketball before the NCAA took over in 1982.

The championship game loss was the second straight for the Gamecocks, who won the title in 2024. Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks (36-4) will be favored to return to the game’s biggest stage with a talented group of returnees, led by Joyce Edwards and Agot Makeer.

Bruins fans celebrate historic win

UCLA fans poured out of the Mortgage Matchup Center after the emotionally charged game, celebrating their team’s first women’s basketball championship.

“Amazing, we came to see a show, we came to see them bring it home, and that’s what we do from Cali, we bring home winners,” said Tara Lewis, a UCLA fan.

Another fan, Bryan Nicholas, said the win was significant for the women’s program.

“We’ve got a lot of these on the men’s side, but for the women’s side, for it to be the first, for them to fight the way they had to fight, the games were so tough,” Nicholas said. “It’s amazing, it’s otherworldly, it’s a team that will never be forgotten in UCLA.”

Gamecocks fans remain optimistic

South Carolina fans said they were not leaving with their heads hanging and expressed optimism about next season.

“Go Gamecocks, we’re going to do it next year, we came so far, it was a great season,” said Emily Goldberg, a South Carolina fan.

Anna Catherine Parham, another fan in attendance, said the team will return stronger.

“I think next year, this team is going to be completely different, we’re going to have more tenacity, we’re going to be stronger,” she said.

Fans said the experience in Phoenix was positive, with excitement about the weather and the energy in the stadium.