04/05/26 05:24:00
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04/05 17:23 CDT UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim its 1st NCAA women's
basketball title
UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim its 1st NCAA women's basketball title
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
PHOENIX (AP) --- It's mission accomplished for UCLA.
Gabriela Jaquez, Lauren Betts and the rest of the UCLA seniors secured the
first NCAA women's basketball national championship in school history --- a
goal that was set after losing in the first Final Four last season.
Jaquez scored 21 points, Betts added 16 and UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51
Sunday in the title game.
"I knew we were going to do it. Coming to UCLA we all set out for a goal, and I
imagined this moment," Jaquez said. "I imagined it so many times, and I am just
so, so proud. ... Crying a lot, the confetti, all of the fans being here to
support us, my family being here, it just means everything. Celebrating with
this group, like ... I'm so happy."
The near-record lopsided victory completed the Bruins' journey through this
year's March Madness. The Bruins ran through their opponents this season with
their only loss coming in November, to Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament.
"It's immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine," UCLA coach Cori Close
said. "It's beyond my wildest dreams."
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 Close put together through a combination of high school
commitments and transfer portal players capped off their stellar careers with a
championship, scoring all the points in the title game.
"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 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 expected returnees,
led by Joyce Edwards and Agot Makeer.
Like their 51-44 semifinal win over Texas, the Bruins were locked in
defensively, anchored by Betts. She finished with 11 rebounds and exited the
game with 3:45 left, giving Close a huge hug. The 6-foot-7 senior earned Most
Outstanding Player honors of the Final Four.
Offensively, the Bruins had a much easier time than in the semifinal game that
saw the team score only 20 points in the first half. The Bruins surpassed that
total in the opening 10 minutes against South Carolina. Kiki's Rice 3-pointer
just before the first-quarter buzzer made it 21-10 as the Bruins got off to a
strong start and South Carolina struggled with 17% shooting, it's poorest
quarter of the season.
The Bruins extended the lead to 15 points in the second quarter by clogging up
the paint on defense and working the ball inside on offense for a 36-23 lead at
the half.
UCLA put the game away in the third quarter, opening the period with a 12-3
run. Jaquez had five points during the spurt. South Carolina never threatened
again as the Bruins outscored them 25-9 in the period.
"We just didn't have it today. We tried, but we just didn't have it today,"
Staley said. "They were the better team."
South Carolina avoided the most lopsided loss in championship history of 33
points, set in 2013 when UConn defeated Louisville. The Gamecocks also
surpassed the title game record low of 44 points by Louisiana Tech in 1987
against Tennessee.
The Gamecocks were trying to cement their name as the premiere program in the
sport with a fourth championship and third in the past five seasons. It just
wasn't meant to be Sunday as they had their worst shooting game of the season
against a talented UCLA team.
"This is not the ending we wanted, but we got here. No one thought we would,
and we did it," said Tessa Johnson, who led South Carolina with 14 points.
Makeer added 11 for the Gamecocks.
"The score speaks for itself." said Gamecocks senior Raven Johnson, who played
in five Final Fours in her career.
Close has been at UCLA for 15 seasons, but her connections go deeper with the
school as she was mentored by the legendary Bruins men's coach John Wooden, who
won 10 national championships at the school.
Their bond began when she was 22 years old and he was 83. She shares the same
first name with one of his great-granddaughters. Close visited Wooden
bi-weekly, adopting his "Pyramid of Success" and focus on character and its
paid off with her team.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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