UCLA got to the Final Four on the strength of the nation’s best offense.
When it arrived, it was a defensive juggernaut.
UCLA stymied South Carolina, 79-51, on Sunday in the national title game to secure the program’s first NCAA championship. It was a dominant UCLA effort from the opening tip that turned into a runaway in the second half.
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The win denied South Carolina its third championship in five seasons and a fourth overall for head coach Dawn Staley.
The Bruins now have their second national title after securing the AIAW championship in 1978. The NCAA took over the championship tournament in 1982. The championship is the first for Cori Close in her 15th season as UCLA’s head coach.
“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” Close told ESPN after the game, fighting back tears. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams. It’s meaningful because of the people I’ve gotten to share it with.”
South Carolina couldn’t counter Jaquez, MOP Betts
UCLA All-American Lauren Betts overcame a health scare in the first quarter to anchor a second straight dominant showing by the Bruins since arriving in Phoenix at the Final Four.
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Betts had a bit of a coughing spell early in the game and needed to use an inhaler on the bench. But she returned to the floor quickly and confirmed at halftime that she was fine, chalking the incident up to the dry air in Phoenix and having something in her throat. There was nothing wrong with her game.
South Carolina had no answers inside for the strength and skill of UCLA’s 6-7 center. Betts repeatedly established her position near the basket, then converted easy buckets over overmatched defenders at the rim.
She finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks while shooting 6 of 10 from the field. Her inside presence set her teammates up for good looks from outside, and the Bruins took advantage with an 8-of-19 (42%) effort from 3.
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Gabriela Jaquez led the UCLA scoring effort with 21 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 8 of 14 from the field and 2 of 4 from 3.
Betts was named the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“It’s having mental toughness, believing in my teammates, knowing that they’re going to get me catches, just continuing to work hard,” Betts said of her performance after the game. “I do it for my teammates. I don’t do it for me.
“It’s not to get points, it’s to create.”
Smothering UCLA defense
On defense, UCLA set the tone early and found another level again after stifling Texas in Friday’s national semifinal.
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The Gamecocks got off to a 1-for-9 start from the field and finished the first quarter shooting 3 of 18. For the game, a South Carolina team that ranks fourth in the nation in offensive efficiency shot 29% from the field and 13% (2 of 15) from 3.
The rout was on in the third quarter as UCLA limited South Carolina to nine points in the stanza and doubled up the Gamecocks 61-30 before it was over. The Bruins outscored the Gamecocks 25-9 in the third for the largest margin in any quarter in NCAA championship game history.
New defensive identity in the Final Four
This was a UCLA team that rolled to a 36-1 record before Sunday’s championship game behind the nation’s most efficient offense. It was capable on defense through that run, ranking 18th in the nation in defensive efficiency. But the story of its championship-securing run in Phoenix was a smothering defense that shut down two of the nation’s best offenses.
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In the national semifinal, UCLA limited a Texas team that ranked fifth in offensive efficiency to 44 points and 31% shooting from the field. It held Texas 41 points below its previous season-long scoring average of 85 points per game.
Then came Sunday’s overwhelming effort against an experienced South Carolina team with a three-time champion head coach and five players who’d previously played in a national title game.
That experience mattered little against UCLA. Like Texas before it, South Carolina was a shell of itself, falling 35.5 points short of its season-long scoring average of 86.5 points per game.
UCLA asserts control across the board
UCLA held the edge against South Carolina virtually everywhere on the floor and in the box score. When either team missed, UCLA was there to clean up the glass and finished with a 49-37 rebounding advantage. That number included a 21-17 advantage on the offensive glass.
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The Bruins posted a 23-13 assist-to-turnover ratio while South Carolina managed just nine assists against 14 turnovers.
UCLA shot 43% from the field while all five of its starters scored in double figures.
The Gamecocks managed just one starter in double figures in Tessa Johnson, who was South Carolina’s only reliable offensive weapon from the starting lineup. She tallied 14 points and 3 rebounds while shooting 6 of 12 from the field. The rest of South Carolina’s starters combined to shoot 8 of 31 from the floor (25.8%).
Agot Makeer added 11 points off the bench as the only South Carolina player other than Johnson to shoot 50% (3 of 6) from the field.
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UCLA never trailed against South Carolina and will leave Phoenix with a dominant Final Four run for the ages.
Live coverage is over33 updates
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM PDT
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:51 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:46 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
For the first time in NCAA history, the Bruins are national champions, destroying the Gamecocks with a nearly 30-point win. UCLA’s senior core will finish their final season with a trophy.
Gabriela Jaquez led the team with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, but it was a full team effort for the Bruins, with their six seniors scoring all of the team’s points.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:42 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Cori Close is now sitting her starters, taking off seniors Kiki Rice, Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez first. Gianna Kneepkens soon joins.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:41 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Gabriela Jaquez drains a three, and the UCLA fans are going nuts. Up 34 points, with less than three minutes left, the Bruins can certainly taste it now.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:36 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Among the Gamecocks’ other offensive struggles, the Bruins are significantly outshooting South Carolina from beyond the arc, going 7-18 compared to 1-13. Gianna Kneepkens leads UCLA with three of those three-pointers.
Freshman guard Agot Makeer, meanwhile, holds the sole three for the Gamecocks.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:31 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Media timeout on the floor, after the two teams trade turnovers. This fourth quarter has looked slightly more even, but UCLA’s dominant lead looks completely insurmountable for the Gamecocks.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:24 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:22 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
With a massive 31-point lead heading into the final frame, the Bruins’ first national championship is in sight. But head coach Cori Close said between quarters on the broadcast that she’s encouraging her team to treat this quarter like they’re starting fresh.
“I’m just gonna forget those three quarters happened,” Close
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:18 PM PDT
UCLA nearly ended the third quarter on a 13-0 run until Joyce Edwards was fouled and made a pair of free throws. But South Carolina only scored nine points in the third quarter to UCLA’s 25 — a rate that is not going to help a comeback effort.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:10 PM PDT
A Gianna Kneepkens 3 balloons the Bruins lead, and this is feeling like a done deal before the end of the third quarter.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:06 PM PDT
Gabriela Jaquez is having herself a DAY. She’s got 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists so far. Her brother, Jaime, is in attendance after scoring 32 points for the Heat on Saturday night.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 2:01 PM PDT
Cassandra Negley
South Carolina looks like a hot mess that spent too much time in the desert sun and just woke up from a nap. They can’t hit a shot, are late everywhere and overall don’t look like they’re into playing this game. Maybe everything it took to upset UConn in the semifinals did in fact drain them.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:57 PM PDT
The Bruins are running away with this one, as the Gamecocks are still shooting just 25% from the field.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM PDT
Not a great start to the third quarter for the Gamecocks, who are falling into a deeper hole.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:47 PM PDT
Who will be crowned champions after the next 20 minutes?
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:30 PM PDT
South Carolina seems to have finally come alive in the final minutes of the first half, getting some key stops on the defensive end and much-needed buckets on offense. But the Gamecocks still have some ground to make up if they want to get back in this one.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:25 PM PDT
Cassandra Negley
South Carolina is going to use its defensive pressure to get back into this game. It’s clearly bothering UCLA. Gamecocks forced a jump ball, five-second violation and a turnover it scored off of in three successive possessions.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:23 PM PDT
A Ta’Niya Latson steal and score finally gives the Gamecocks some momentum, but can they keep it going?
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:21 PM PDT
Tessa Johnson is South Carolina’s only starter with more than two points (she’s got eight), and as a whole, the team is shooting just 24%, less than half of their season average.
Sun, April 5, 2026 at 1:16 PM PDT
Cassandra Negley
Truly abysmal offense from South Carolina today. The Gamecocks are shooting 21.4% (6 of 28) through 15 minutes. They can’t afford misses like Ta’Niya Latson’s early-possession open mid-range jumper.