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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Kiki Rice #1 and Gabriela Jaquez #11 of the UCLA Bruins celebrate with the trophy after the victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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No. 1 UCLA wins and defeats No. 1 South Carolina, 79-51 on Sunday, Aprl 5. UCLA never trailed in their Final Four games against Texas or South Carolina.
They became only the second Big 10 team to win a NCAA championship (Purdue in 1999). This was the first national championship as a head coach for Close, and the first in modern history for UCLA (UCLA won the AIAW in 1978).
UCLA Impresses with First Half Scoring
In the first half, UCLA jumped out to a commanding lead as they finished the first twenty minutes up 36-23 on South Carolina.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 5: Maryam Dauda #30 of the South Carolina Gamecocks attempts to block a shot by Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins during the first half of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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The scoring for the Bruins was evenly distributed across their starting lineup with senior center Lauren Betts (six points, seven rebounds), and senior guards Kiki Rice and transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker both contributing five points, along with seven points a piece from Gianna Kneepken and Gabriela Jacquez.
Additionally, off the bench, when Betts had a throat issue that required her to exit majority of the first quarter, senior forward Angela Dugalic had six points.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Gabriela Jaquez #11 of the UCLA Bruins shoots the ball against Raven Johnson #25 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first quarter in the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
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The Bruins shot 43% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc to pull away by 13 points at the half from the Gamecocks.
In comparison, South Carolina struggled to see the ball go in the basket, shooting 26% from the floor and were only able to convert a single three in the half (13%) from freshman Agot Makeer. The Gamecocks also had a rather quiet first half from graduate guard Raven Johnson, who had just two points and two rebounds.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 5: Tessa Johnson #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks completes a lay up during the first half of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game against the UCLA Bruins at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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The bright spot for the Gamecocks was junior guard Tessa Johnson who had 10 points, proving why there are shirts that state “who can guard Tessa Johnson”, a quote said in frustration from LSU head coach Kim Mulkey during their loss to South Carolina back in February.
Second Half Continued Dominance for UCLA
At the start of the third quarter, the Bruins went on a 12-2 run, in large part due to the play of Jacquez, before Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley called a timeout. South Carolina was down by 22 points, their largest deficit of the season.
Out of the timeout, South Carolina’s full court pressure was able to get some crucial stops, but they could not convert on offense. Instead, UCLA went on a 13-0 run to finish the third, outscoring the Gamecocks 25-9, closing the third quarter up 29 points, the largest margin in any quarter in the national championship game.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 5: Tessa Johnson #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks dribbles the ball up the court while Charlisse Leger-Walker #5 of the UCLA Bruins defends during the second half of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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Further, the UCLA defense held sophomore All-American forward Joyce Edwards to four points, and 1-for-8 from the floor in the first three quarters of the matchup.
National Championship Secured for UCLA in Fourth Quarter
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins high fives teammates and staff members as she is removed from the game during the fourth quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Edwards direct counter in the game, Betts had already achieved a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) by the end of the third, when UCLA head coach Cori Close took Betts out of the game at the 3:42 mark, she had added three additional points.
Moments later, Close called a timeout at the 2:52 mark, right after Jacquez hit a dagger three to a charged arena. Jacquez exited the game to a standing ovation and a stat line of 21 points and 10 rebounds, a final double-double for her career in a UCLA uniform.
The game finished with young players for both squads finishing the final minutes of the game, but UCLA won by an overwhelming margin of 28 points.
This is two years in a row that South Carolina has made it to the national championship title game, but suffered an overwhelming defeat (23 points in 2025 to UConn).
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Kiki Rice #1, Lauren Betts #51, Gianna Kneepkens #8, Sienna Betts #16, and Gabriela Jaquez #11 of the UCLA Bruins celebrate after the victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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In the win, UCLA’s entire senior class, in addition to Betts and Jacquez, were in double digits or close to double digit scoring, with Leger-Walker (10), Rice (10), Kneepken (15), and Dugalic (9 points).
In the loss, South Carolina’s T. Johnson ended with 14 points (four in the second half), Makeer with 11 points, and Edwards two points shy of a double-double with eight points, and 11 rebounds.
Betts Named 2026 Final Four Most Outstanding Player
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 5: The UCLA Bruins celebrate after defeating South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
NCAA Photos via Getty Images
After the trophy was presented to UCLA and coach Close, it was announced that Betts was named the 2026 Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She stated after the award announcement to reporter Holly Rowe about her personal growth at UCLA, “Basketball has given me the platform to change peoples lives…I am always going to speak my truth because it helped people.”
Talking with Rowe after the win, Close said, “It is truly indescribable….I am just so humbled that they [senior class] chose to commit to our mission…This is meaningful because of the village that we get to share it with.”
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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