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To beryllium the best, you request to bushed the best, and the UCLA Bruins women's hoops squad did that with an exclamation constituent connected Sunday to ascent the mountaintop.
They (37-1) dismantled South Carolina 79-51 successful the 2026 NCAA National Championship Game to gain their archetypal rubric since joining successful 1981.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Charlisse Leger-Walker #5 and Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins respond aft a timeout was called by the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 3rd 4th successful the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament astatine Mortgage Matchup Center connected April 05, 2026 successful Phoenix, Arizona.
Christian Petersen / Getty Images
The emphatic triumph capped disconnected a ascendant tally done March Madness for the Bruins, led by 6-foot-7 elder halfway Lauren Betts, who led the squad successful scoring successful 4 of their six games. She had 14 points and 11 rebounds during Sunday's historical win.
UCLA enactment its ft connected the state early, surviving an wounded scare to Betts, who received attraction connected the seat aft appearing to beryllium deed successful the throat. It finished the archetypal 4th connected an 8-0 tally to instrumentality a 21-10 pb into the second.
The Gamecocks held their ain successful the second, but were inactive outscored 15-13 arsenic the Bruins took a 36-23 pb astatine the half.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Raven Johnson #25 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts during the 2nd 4th against the UCLA Bruins successful the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament astatine Mortgage Matchup Center connected April 05, 2026 successful Phoenix, Arizona.
Christian Petersen / Getty Images
The Bruins, however, enactment the crippled – and the trophy – virtually retired of scope successful the 3rd 4th by outscoring the Gamecocks by 16.
UCLA elder Gabriela Jaquez led each scorers with 21 points connected 8-of-14 shooting, tacking connected 10 rebounds to springiness her a nationalist title crippled double-double.
South Carolina's (36-4) play ended with a disappointing flop successful the title game. Dawn Staley's squad finishes arsenic the runner-up for the second-straight twelvemonth aft winning its 3rd rubric successful programme past successful the 2023-2024 season.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Charlisse Leger-Walker #5 of the UCLA Bruins reacts aft her three-point handbasket against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 3rd 4th successful the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament astatine Mortgage Matchup Center connected April 05, 2026 successful Phoenix, Arizona.
Christian Petersen / Getty Images
UCLA's first-ever NCAA rubric comes aft what's been a dependable build-up for caput manager Cori Close successful her 15 seasons astatine the helm. Despite missing the NCAA Tournament successful 3 of her archetypal 4 years, she rapidly turned UCLA into a perennial postseason team, making it successful 9 of the adjacent 10 seasons.
Last season, the Bruins precocious to their archetypal Final Four, wherever they fell to eventual champion Connecticut. They returned 4 of 5 starters for 2025-2026, adding elder Utah-transfer Gianna Kneepkins to the roster and moving elder Angela Dugalic to the superior enactment disconnected the bench.
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