Lauren Betts, UCLA Beat Dawn Staley, South Carolina to Win Historic NCAA March Madness Title

For the first time since 1978, UCLA has climbed to the top of the mountain in women's basketball.

The top-seeded Bruins defeated fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina 79-51 in Sunday's NCAA Women's Tournament final to win their first NCAA national championship in program history. They won their lone AIAW national championship in 1978 before women's basketball was a part of the NCAA.

While South Carolina has been known for its stingy defense, it was UCLA that locked things down on that end of the floor to jump out to an early lead. The Bruins led by 11 after the first quarter and took a 36-23 lead into halftime.

Things didn't get any better for the Gamecocks after the break, as the Bruins' lead ballooned to 35 points in the second half. In addition to playing strong defense, UCLA was relentless on the glass and out-rebounded South Carolina 49-37.

All five Bruins starters, all of whom are seniors, scored in double figures in the win. Gabriela Jaquez controlled the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Star center Lauren Betts dealt with an early throat injury, but she fought back to drop 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Gianna Kneepkens had 15 points, Charlisse Leger-Walker added 10 points and Kiki Rice had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Gamecocks junior guard Tessa Johnson did her best to keep her team afloat with 14 points. Freshman guard Agot Makeer added 11 points off the bench and was the only other player to score in double figures. The team shot an abysmal 29 percent from the field.

UCLA's immaculate defense throughout the 2026 NCAA Women's Tournament will be remembered for years after Betts and company reached the pinnacle with the program's first NCAA national championship.