Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points, Lauren Betts added 16, and UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 on Sunday to win their first NCAA women’s basketball championship. The near-record lopsided victory completed the Bruins’ journey through March Madness, following a loss to UConn in last season’s Final Four.
UCLA (37-1) suffered its only defeat in November against Texas. “It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” said coach Cori Close. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams.” Jaquez, a senior, contributed 10 rebounds and five assists in front of her brother Jaime, who plays for the Miami Heat.
Betts, the 6ft 7in senior, earned Most Outstanding Player honours with 11 rebounds. The Bruins' defence was anchored by Betts, holding South Carolina to 17% shooting in the first quarter – their worst of the season. UCLA led 36-23 at half-time and broke open the game with a 12-3 run to start the third quarter, outscoring the Gamecocks 25-9 in the period.
The title is UCLA’s first in women’s basketball since the 1978 AIAW championship, predating the NCAA takeover in 1982. For South Carolina (36-4), it was a second straight championship game loss after winning in 2024. Tessa Johnson scored 14 points and Agot Makeer added 11 for the Gamecocks, who avoided the most lopsided title game defeat – 33 points set by UConn in 2013.
Coach Close, in her 15th season at UCLA, was mentored by legendary Bruins men’s coach John Wooden. She visited him bi-weekly and adopted his “Pyramid of Success”. “I looked them in the eyes before the game and said, ‘The talent is our floor, but our character will determine our ceiling,’” Close said.
