UCLA defeats South Carolina for NCAA women’s basketball national championship
The UCLA Bruins defeated Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks to win the first national championship in the NCAA era.
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PHOENIX — UCLA women’s basketball’s senior core has another shot at the elusive NCAA national championship.
Dance one last time.
After the Bruins suffered a blowout loss that eliminated them from the 2025 Final Four, Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Charlisse Ledger-Walker and Angela Dugaric chose to return to UCLA for one last try. UCLA seized the moment, defeating South Carolina 79-51 to win the program’s first NCAA National Championship on Sunday, April 5th in Phoenix.
“Today we really showed our resiliency, our strength, just our will to win,” said senior guard Kiki Rice, who scored 10 points in the win. “We felt like this was our time, this was our year.
“There is no better way to end a career.”
UCLA picked up an ugly win in the NCAA Tournament en route to the program’s first national championship appearance. The Bruins’ comeback win over Duke in the Elite Eight, and UCLA’s 51-44 win over Texas. But UCLA held the Bruins’ basketball to a complete 40 minutes when it mattered most. UCLA’s seven seniors (including the team’s entire starting lineup) will not be denied.
UCLA head coach Cori Close said he pulled Betts aside before tipoff and told her, “No matter what happens today, I’m more proud of who she became and who she influenced than any net could ever break.” While Close said the outcome of the game won’t define Betts’ legacy or UCLA’s trajectory, both Close and Betts knew how the game would end before they stepped on the court.
“I was so focused yesterday that I knew I could win,” Betts said. “When you have a certain amount of energy in practice, you wake up the next morning and think, ‘I did everything I could for the game.’ That’s the kind of confidence you have.”
UCLA focused on being aggressive against South Carolina in Sunday’s national championship game. The Bruins outscored the Gamecocks 21-10 in the first quarter, leading by as many as 15 points in the first half alone. UCLA’s lead ballooned to 20 points midway through the third quarter and was up to 35 points in the win.
“As soon as we came out in the first few minutes, everyone focused on what we had to do and won the one-on-one match. Rebounding was important. Yeah, we knew that from the beginning,” Betts said. “If we play together and find a way to play unselfishly and do what we do, no one can stop us. You guys saw that.”
The Bruins were firing on all cylinders. All five UCLA starters reached double figures in scoring. Jaquez recorded a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, achieving his second double-double of the season. Gianna Neepkens had 15 points, Lauren Betts had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Charliss Leger Walker and Kiki Rice each had 10 points. Angela Dugaric added nine points off the bench.
“The joy that we’re getting and the love we have for each other is really motivating us throughout this season because we just want to do it for each other,” Jaquez said. “Since the roster was made, we knew we had the tools. It was just a matter of staying focused and working hard every day to be the best version of ourselves. We’re up 1-0, taking it one game at a time and continuing to talk about being the best version of ourselves. That’s what led us to this moment.”
Jaquez and Rice are rare in modern college basketball, where NIL contracts and the transfer portal create high turnover rates year after year. However, Jaquez and Rice spent their entire four-year careers at UCLA, opting to return following last year’s Final Four return.
Rice still remembers the first day he walked into Close’s office. They discussed where they would like to take the program. “We want to win a national championship and play in the Final Four,” Rice said Sunday, donning ski goggles after a championship shower in the locker room.
“When I came in as a freshman, it was a plan to cut the nets. I think we talked about it a lot,” Jaquez added. “I’ve envisioned this moment many times to become national champions, and to do it with this group just means everything.”
Close praised the team’s loyalty and selflessness in sticking to a common vision. “It’s very rare in life when you can start a journey with a bunch of people and really envision something. It’s really humbling. Well, we’re very lucky to have experienced that. They earned it all,” she said.
Betts transferred to UCLA in 2023 after one season at Stanford, a move she called “the best decision I ever made.” Betts said he arrived in Los Angeles with “zero confidence” and lost his passion for basketball.
“When I was a sophomore, I was completely different than I am now. Coming in…I really didn’t know if I wanted to play basketball that long,” Betts revealed. “Coach Cori has been really patient with me. She wants to see me accomplish everything I’ve ever dreamed of. They kept telling me that they wanted me to see myself the way everyone sees me. At this point, I feel like I can finally really make it happen.”
Betts watched last season’s Final Four loss at least 10 times, but he likely plans to rewatch the historic victory more times than that.
“Everyone understood the moment. There was never any question that we weren’t going to go out there and be ready,” Betts said. “You could tell by the look on everyone’s faces how much we wanted it. When the call of duty came, we all answered, so I’m really proud of this group.”
Contact USA TODAY national women’s sports reporter Sydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her at X. @CydHenderson.
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