UCLA dominates South Carolina to win first women’s NCAA championship in program history
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — UCLA put on a masterclass performance to down South Carolina 79-51 in the women’s national championship on Sunday at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
The win secured the Bruins their first women’s title in program history.
UCLA came out the gates on fire and continued their torrid play throughout the game.
Despite star center Lauren Betts spending some time on the bench, dealing with what she described as something being stuck in her throat, UCLA was able to weather the storm with defense.
They held the Gamecocks to a 26% shooting percentage from the field through the first two quarters, including 1 for 8 from three-point range and took a 13-point lead into halftime.
The Bruins didn’t take their foot of the gas to start the third quarter, increasing the lead to 22, the largest deficit SC has faced all season.
There hasn’t been many times this season – or indeed in the last decade and a half – where one can say South Carolina had no answers but on Sunday, the team had nothing.
UCLA outscored South Carolina by 16 points in the third quarter, the largest scoring margin of any quarter in women’s title-game history, according the ESPN broadcast.
The Gamecocks needed something beyond a miracle to secure the programs fourth title since 2017 but came up short for the second straight year after a blowout loss to UConn in the 2025 championship game.
Betts and Gabriela Jaquez both finished with double-doubles and received a standing ovation from UCLA fans in attendance when taken out of the game with less than five minutes to go. Every Bruins starter finished in double figures.
As the clock reached zeroes, an emotional UCLA head coach Cori Close embraced with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and the rest of the team celebrated the win.
UCLA finishes the season with a 37-1 record and a new, shiny trophy to add to their case in Westwood, California, that already features an NCAA-record 11 men’s basketball titles.
The win also extends the Bruins’ win streak to 31 games, the longest in program history.
The 54-year-old Close, standing alongside her mother, said the moment was “immeasurably more” than she could ever imagine.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Close told the ESPN broadcast. “But it’s meaningful because of the people I’ve gotten to share it with. It’s all about the heart. And it would be shallow without an amazing village and incredible people that are important to me my whole life.”
Close’s UCLA squad becomes the second-ever Big Ten school to win the women’s title, joining Purdue in 1998.
Jaquez, who finished with a team-high 21 points, added that it was “definitely” a goal of the school’s successful senior class to bring a title back to UCLA.
“I knew we were going to do it. Coming to UCLA, we all set out for a goal and I imagined this moment. I imagined it so many times. And I am just so, so proud,” Jacquez said with her brother – Jaime, a forward for the NBA’s Miami Heat – watching in attendance.
The 22-year-old Betts, a projected high pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, was named the 2026 Most Outstanding Player in this year’s tournament.
Betts finished Sunday with 14 points and 11 rebounds and said basketball has helped her grow as a person after dealing with adversity through her life.
“Basketball has given me the platform to change peoples lives,” an emotional Betts said.
She added, “I was put on this earth not just to score points, but to help people. And I’ve gone through my journey because other people have experienced the same thing. I’m always going to speak my truth because I know its going to help people.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
