UCLA wins first women's basketball championship, defeats South Carolina in Phoenix

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UCLA wins first women's basketball championship, defeats South Carolina in Phoenix originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The battle of No. 1's in the desert with a national championship on the line had a surprise ending. UCLA took home their first women's basketball title, beating South Carolina 79-51 on Sunday afternoon.

The Bruins opened up a double-digit lead early and didn't look back, being up by as much as 35 points in one of the worst defeats in Dawn Staley's tenure. For two teams with different paths to this point, this was an upset between powerhouse programs.

South Carolina shot 26 percent from the floor overall in the first half. Its worst field goal percentage in the first half of any game since Dec. 2022, according to ESPN Insights.

South Carolina had plenty of experience at this stage and was going for a fourth title. UCLA is tasting it for the first time with star Lauren Betts leading the way. The 6-foot-7 senior center finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. All five Bruins starters finished in double figures, including 21 points from Gabriela Jaquez, 15 from Gianna Kneepkens, and 10 a piece from Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice.

This was a complete effort by the UCLA starters with only nine points from the bench.

As for South Carolina, this was a disappointing end to another great season. After being held to 32 points going into the fourth quarter, there was no coming back in the final ten minutes. The Bruins paid attention to the fine details and it showed up wire-to-wire for them. Tessa Johnson was the only Gamecocks player in double figures with 14 points. Joyce Edwards was held to just 8 points and 11 rebounds.

There was a little bit of history repeated for South Carolina. Over the last 10 NCAA tournaments, the Gamecocks have faced a halftime deficit of 10+ points just 4 times in 46 games. Sunday's ending was the worst defeat compared to the previous three.

For UCLA, they snapped the Big Ten's drought without a title in the past two decades. In fact, this is the second time in history a conference team took home hardware (1998, Purdue). The school which has a rich tradition in both basketball programs adds another accomplishment.

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• What UConn's Geno Auriemma said after ripping Dawn Staley
• Nate Burleson's wardrobe gets roasted during March Madness coverage

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