The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team won its first NCAA championship on April 6, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 79–51 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
This victory marks a significant milestone for the program, which had come close to a national title several times but never secured one in the NCAA era. The win is also UCLA’s 126th overall NCAA team title.
The Bruins finished their season with a record of 37–1, capturing both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles before advancing through five rounds of the NCAA tournament. Their journey included avenging their only loss of the season by beating Texas in the Final Four. Head coach Cori Close said after the game, “All year, we’ve been saying the talent is our floor but our character will determine our ceiling. I’m just so confident in their character, and that’s what determined how they played today.”
Lauren Betts led UCLA with 14 points and 11 rebounds and was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Gabriela Jaquez contributed 21 points, while Gianna Kneepkens added 15. Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker each scored ten points, and Angela Dugalic finished with nine.
Close reflected on her time leading UCLA: “It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine… It would be shallow without an amazing village and incredible people that have poured into me my whole life.” Fans celebrated both in Phoenix and at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles as alumni like Ann Meyers Drysdale and Jaime Jaquez joined students to support the team.
UCLA women’s basketball was founded in 1974 but had not won a national title since capturing an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship in 1979. The program reached new heights this year under Close’s leadership. “We always said we were going to do it in an uncommon, transformational way,” Close said.
As confetti fell after decades of effort by players past and present, Gabriela Jaquez summed up her feelings: “I’m just so happy. I’m just so proud of this group… This was the plan, and we accomplished it.”
Sunday’s win not only adds to UCLA’s storied athletics history but also reflects broader growth for women’s sports nationwide.
