UCLA Bruins Clinch First NCAA Championship in Dominant 79-51 Win Against South Carolina Gamecocks

Jacob Perrine
UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close celebrates on the podium after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks during the National Championship game of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The desert heat in Phoenix wasn’t the only thing that was hot on Sunday afternoon, as the UCLA Bruins scorched the powerhouse South Carolina Gamecocks in a 28-point blowout to capture the program’s first ever NCAA championship in dominant fashion.

Lauren Betts and UCLA Stifle South Carolina’s Offense in Win

Although the Bruins didn’t exactly light things up on offense as they shot just 44% from the field, their defense, led by star senior Lauren Betts, put the clamps down on an elite South Carolina offense. UCLA would hold the Gamecocks to just 29% shooting from the floor and 13% from three-point range, both percentages marked season lows for South Carolina. The Gamecocks never scored more than 19 points across all four quarters in the game.

Of course, that outstanding defensive effort was anchored by Betts, who showed exactly why she won back-to-back Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards in her final two seasons in Westwood. Betts would finish the game with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, while also adding in 2 blocks on defense. Betts rim and paint protection proved to be too much for the Gamecocks to overcome, as they finished with just 28 points from close range.

While Betts was putting the finishing touches on a legendary career by taking home the NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player award, it was the play of Gabriela Jaquez that proved to be the x-factor in the game. Jaquez would finish the game with a near triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win. UCLA’s team passing would be the difference-maker as well, with the Bruins dishing out 23 total assists compared to South Carolina’s 9.

Cori Close Finally Overcomes March Madness Woes in Title Run

It’s been a long, winding road filled with plenty of bad memories for UCLA head coach Cori Close since taking over the Bruins in 2011, but the NCAA tournament demons were finally put to rest this season for the winningest head coach in UCLA history today. Before 2025, Close had never taken UCLA farther than the Elite Eight, and would lead the Bruins to their first-ever Final Four last season, but would come up just short against the eventual national champion UConn Huskies.

This year’s UCLA team seemed like a team of destiny from the first game of the season, as the Bruins would only lose one game all season. That 37-1 record is even more impressive when looking at the Bruins’ stout schedule this season, as they went a perfect 18-0 in Big Ten play despite the conference sporting over 7 ranked teams, the most of any major power five conference in women’s basketball this season.

Gamecocks Squander Chance to Cement Dynasty Status

Dynasties have long defined women’s basketball at the collegiate level, with powerhouse programs like UConn, Tennessee, and Stanford dominating the sport at various points in its history. This Gamecocks team had a chance at etching their name alongside those legendary programs if they were able to win their 3rd national championship in 5 years today. Unfortunately, South Carolina will have to wait a bit longer to join that exclusive list after the loss.

This latest championship loss also marked the second straight loss in the title game for the Gamecocks, with both outings proving to be thoroughly uncompetitive. South Carolina would fall to the UConn Huskies in last season’s title game by a score of 82-59. While championships are the standard that Gamecocks fans expect from their program, they can take solace in the fact that South Carolina made their 6th straight Final Four in another outstanding season in Columbia.