UCLA Lady Bruins Capture First NCAA Championship over South Carolina Gamecocks, 79-51

“We just didn’t have it today. We tried, but we just didn’t have it today. They were the better team today. Congratulations to them,” said South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley after her team’s loss to the UCLA Bruins in Sunday night’s NCAA Championship game.

The 79-51 loss was the third-largest loss in the title game in tournament history. UCLA led 44-25 early in the second half, and proceeded to outscore South Carolina by 16 points in the third quarter. 

South Carolina’s top players–Joyce Edwards, Ta’Niya Latson, and Raven Johnson — “finished with a combined 15 points on 5-of-22 shooting. South Carolina became the first team to lose consecutive national championship game appearances by at least 15 points each.”

UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, with her last points coming from a late game 3-pointer before she was subbed out of the game. UCLA’s Lauren Betts was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player after scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” UCLA Coach Cori Close said. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” after clinching the school’s first NCAA Women’s basketball title.