UCLA blows out South Carolina for women’s title

PHOENIX — This one was for coach Cori Close and Lauren Betts and all the current players wearing UCLA on their jerseys.

But it was also for Ann Meyers Drysdale and Denise Curry and John Wooden, and every Bruin who poured into what would become the first NCAA championship in UCLA women’s basketball history.

The Bruins beat South Carolina 79-51 on Sunday in the national title game, and they did it the same way they have won all season — with a dominating inside presence, an unselfish offensive approach and a suffocating defense that handed the Gamecocks one of their worst losses in NCAA tournament history.

The 28-point margin of victory was the third largest in a Division I women’s championship final.

“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” Close said. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams.”

UCLA never trailed, opening a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter and never looking back in its 31st straight win to make history. Betts was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player after the game.

In her 15th season at the helm, Close pulled off what many didn’t believe was possible at one of the most storied basketball programs in the country. UCLA last won a national title in women’s basketball in 1978 in the AIAW, when Meyers Drysdale and Curry led the way. John Wooden won 10 titles for the men and set a standard that other coaches on the Los Angeles campus wanted to follow.

Indeed, as a 22-year-old assistant at UCLA, Close and Wooden began what would become a deep and close relationship. She credits him to this day for helping her become the coach she is now. With all those lessons, Close guided a team on a mission Sunday — to avenge a poor Final Four appearance a year ago, with a senior-laden group determined to be the first team to win that elusive NCAA championship.

With Meyers Drysdale in attendance, UCLA asserted its game plan from the opening tip, immediately feeding Betts inside. Close had talked about her team being too reactive last year in a double-digit national semifinal loss. It was the opposite in the national title game this year.

“Connectivity. Attention to detail. You know I looked them in the eyes before in the locker room, before the game, and I said, ‘I’m so proud to be able to say this,'” Close said. “Because all year we’ve been saying the talent is our floor, but our character will determine our ceiling.'”

The Bruins were assertive and aggressive, using their size to get into the paint while altering shot after shot on defense. Five UCLA players finished in double figures. Betts had 14 points and 11 rebounds, but it was UCLA senior Gabriela Jaquez who was perhaps most impactful — as she not only found open shots but fed her teammates and got inside to grab one rebound after another.

Jaquez, who has played her college career at UCLA, had 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a performance that will not soon be forgotten.

“I’m so proud of this group, we’re national champions,” Jaquez said.

At the end of the first half, UCLA had the rebounding advantage and outscored South Carolina in the paint 20-12. Six UCLA players scored in the first half — all seniors — all with at least two field goals apiece. South Carolina changed its defensive approach late in the second half and started pressing, but UCLA figured that out, too and had a 36-23 advantage at the break.

South Carolina, meanwhile, shot 9 of 35 — Joyce Edwards was 1-of-6 with two points. It was the Gamecocks’ worst field goal percentage in any half of any game since December 2022, when they shot 26% in the first half against South Dakota State.

UCLA opened the second half on a 12-3 run, and the rout to a championship was on. The Bruins became the eighth team in the past 30 years to win their debut national championship, while Close became the longest-tenured head coach at a single school to win a long-awaited first championship.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.