WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

04/05 17:04 CDT UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim its 1st NCAA women's basketball title UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim its 1st NCAA women's basketball title By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer PHOENIX (AP) --- Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points, Lauren Betts added 16 and UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 Sunday to win its first NCAA championship in women's basketball. The near-record lopsided victory completed the Bruins' journey through this year's March Madness that started following a loss to UConn in last season's Final Four. The Bruins ran through their opponents this season with their only loss coming in November, to Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament. "It's immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine," UCLA coach Cori Close said. "It's beyond my wildest dreams." UCLA (37-1) was led by Betts and her fellow seniors and graduate students, like Jaquez --- who played all four years with the Bruins. She also had 10 rebounds and five assists in front of her brother Jaime, who plays for the Miami Heat and flew in to attend the game to watch his alma mater win. "I'm so proud of this group, we're national champions," Jaquez said. The group that coach Close put together through a combination of high school commitments and transfer portal players capped off their stellar careers with a championship. "Connectivity. Attention to detail. You know I looked them in the eyes before in the locker room, before the game, and I said, ?I'm so proud to be able to say this," Close said. "Because all year we've been saying the talent is our floor, but our character will determine our ceiling.'" The title is UCLA's first since winning the 1978 AIAW championship, which was the postseason tournament for women's basketball before the NCAA took over in 1982. The championship game loss was the second straight for the Gamecocks, who won the title in 2024. Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks (36-4) will be favored to return to the game's biggest stage with a talented group of expected returnees, led by Joyce Edwards and Agot Makeer. Like their 51-44 semifinal win over Texas, the Bruins were locked in defensively, anchored by Betts. She finished with 11 rebounds and exited the game with 3:45 left, giving Close a huge hug. The 6-foot-7 senior earned Most Outstanding Player honors of the Final Four. Offensively, the Bruins had a much easier time than in the semifinal game that saw the team score only 20 points in the first half. The Bruins surpassed that total in the opening 10 minutes against South Carolina. Kiki's Rice 3-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer made it 21-10 as the Bruins got off to a strong start and South Carolina struggled with 17% shooting, it's poorest quarter of the season. The Bruins extended the lead to 15 points in the second quarter by clogging up the paint on defense and working the ball inside on offense for a 36-23 lead at the half. UCLA put the game away in the third quarter, opening the period with a 12-3 run. Jaquez had five points during the spurt. South Carolina never threatened again as the Bruins outscored them 25-9 in the period. Tessa Johnson scored 14 points and Makeer added 11 for the Gamecocks. South Carolina avoided the most lopsided loss in championship history of 33 points, set in 2013 when UConn defeated Louisville. The Gamecocks also surpassed the title game record low of 44 points by Louisiana Tech in 1987 against Tennessee. The Gamecocks were trying to cement their name as the premiere program in the sport with a fourth championship and third in the past five seasons. It just wasn't meant to be Sunday as they had their worst shooting game of the season against a talented UCLA team. Close has been at UCLA for 15 seasons, but her connections go deeper with the school as she was mentored by the legendary Bruins men's coach John Wooden, who won 10 national championships at the school. Their bond began when she was 22 years old and he was 83. She shares the same first name with one of his great-granddaughters. Close visited Wooden bi-weekly, adopting his "Pyramid of Success" and focus on character and its paid off with her team. ___ AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness