UCLA team celebrating | photo taken from @uclawbb on instagram
On Sunday (5th April), UCLA Bruins won their first NCAA National Championship in Women’s Basketball after they won 51-79 against #1 Seed South Carolina Gamecocks. The number one seed had an impressive season themselves but how was the title won for the LA University?
Throughout the game. UCLA dominated, winning three out of the four quarters (only losing the last one by one point) but managed to secure a dominant lead in prior quarters. UCLA competed in the Big Ten Conference securing number one seed coming into March Madness with their opponents playing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and becoming number one seed themselves. The 28 point difference from the win was the largest margin of victory against a number one seed, with the other highest being from UConn against lower-seeded sides.
15,856 fans were in attendance in Phoenix, Arizona as they saw eight seniors starting across both teams (which was the tied most in Championship game history) including five from UCLA. Coming into the game, UCLA had four of their seniors in the projected top 15 for the WNBA draft happening next week, with Lauren Betts projected to be in the top five after the win (Others include, Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens, Gabriela Jacquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker).
A lucky charm for the seniors was that Cabriela Jaquez, Lauren Betts and Charlisse Leger-Walker all danced alongside their cheerleading squad prior to March Madness. They continued this tradition through the month all the way until the final and what did they do to celebrate after the win? Yes, that’s right. Do the same dance sequence that they have done throughout the last couple of games.
Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez were standout players for UCLA throughout their college career, having both stuck with the Bruins through their four years. Both players won 121 and 123 times respectively with Kiki Rice having the first three on the night. The Guard playing under #1 is only ranked behind Lauren Betts for the team’s scoring leaders this basketball season with an average of 15.1 points per game. She has a communications major with a 3.85 GPA, and was ultimately awarded the NCAA Elite 90 trophy in 2025 which is given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the finals site of each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.
Ahead of the National Championship, Gabriela Jaquez got an average of 13.3 points per game but smashed it during the night with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The programme showed her report during the game, saying that she wanted to get a scholarship and head to UCLA as a long and short term goal. Her long term goals as a basketball player was to play in college and as a person was to go to UCLA, of which she did both.
Standout Player at UCLA – Lauren Betts:
Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament went to Lauren Betts of UCLA, scoring the first point of the game and was in the 2026 First Team AP All American. In the first quarter, the Center went off court after only six minutes due to discomfort in her throat – later saying it was due to the heat in Phoenix. She later came back on in the second quarter but this was not the only distraction for the UCLA player. With just 2:37 on the clock in the second quarter, she later changed her shirt due to blood, moving from the iconic 51 to 26 but with under 30 seconds to go in the same quarter, she went back to the number she called home.
Betts spent one season at Stanford University before moving to LA and stated that teammate Kiki Rice was the reason she moved to the coast (with the pair now being top 2 rated recruits from the College). Betts was the first player to receive both Defensive Player and Player of the Season in Big 10 history this season. Her UCLA Program records were also outstanding throughout her three seasons with the Bruins, prior to the match up. 62% FG, 233 Blocks and 268 Career points across her time in the NCAA Tournament helped the side win their first Championship title under NCAA Conditions.
So, what’s next? The WNBA Draft is being held on 13th April and the seniors that have featured across the whole of the NCAA Tournament can have a chance of featuring in the WNBA for the 2026 season and beyond.