Sunday's women's national championship game was drama-free, and UCLA cruised to a historic 79-51 win over South Carolina in Phoenix to claim the program's first NCAA Tournament title (the Bruins previously won an AIAW title in 1978). The 28-point victory was the third-largest in NCAA women's national championship game history.
Just over 90 seconds into the game, Charlisse Leger-Walker hit a short jumper to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead, and they never trailed again. In fact, once Kiki Rice hit a 3-pointer just before the first quarter buzzer to put them up by 11, their advantage never fell below double digits.
The only bit of adversity UCLA faced all day was when Lauren Betts briefly went to the bench with a throat issue. She only missed a few minutes, though, and returned to put up her fourth double-double of the tournament. Betts finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
While there were times earlier in the tournament when Betts carried the Bruins through difficult stretches, this was a full team effort. All five starters finished in double figures. Gabriela Jaquez had a game-high 21 points. Gianna Kneepkens added 15. Rice and Leger-Walker both scored 10. Jaquez also added 10 rebounds and five assists in the best performance of her career.
UCLA's defense was even better than its offense. The Bruins' size and versatility across the lineup was too much for South Carolina. The Gamecocks couldn't do anything the entire day; they didn't score more than 13 points in any of the first three quarters. For the game, they shot 29% from the field, including 2 of 15 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 14 times.
Here are some key takeaways from Sunday's title game:
UCLA's seniors finish the job
Last season, UCLA made it to the Final Four for the first time in program history in the NCAA era, but was embarrassed by 34 points against UConn. The Bruins' core used that defeat as motivation and came back even better this season. They went 28-1 in the regular season, cruised through the Big Ten Tournament and earned a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
Early in the tournament, though, the Bruins weren't at their best. Their margin of victory in the first two rounds was significantly smaller than the other No. 1 seeds, they trailed by double digits in the Elite Eight against Duke and they had to withstand a late comeback from Texas in the Final Four while scoring just 51 points.
Coming into Sunday's title game, the Bruins were the underdogs. That now seems foolish. They saved their best for last and cruised to an easy victory over a South Carolina team that looked completely overmatched. This victory finished a storybook season for UCLA's six seniors: Betts, Rice, Jaquez, Kneepkens, Leger-Walker and Angela Dugalić. That group scored all 79 of UCLA's points on Sunday and all 51 of their points against Texas.
"It's truly indescribable," UCLA coach Cori Close said when asked what this senior class meant to her and the program. "The loyalty, the steadfast spirt, their character that they've chosen day-in and day-out. Like, I just am so humbled the way that they've chosen to commit to our vision."
Rice and Jaquez, who were the co-MVPs of the 2022 McDonald's All-American Game, spent their entire collegiate careers at UCLA. Betts and Dugalić both transferred in as sophomores, while Leger-Walker arrived ahead of last season, but couldn't play until this season due to an injury. Kneepkens joined the party this season as a grad transfer.
A historic day for the Bruins
The Bruins made all sorts of history on Sunday. Here's a rundown:
- First NCAA national championship in program history (previously won an AIAW title in 1978)
- Second women's Big Ten team to win a national championship and first to do so in the conference -- in women's or men's basketball -- since Michigan State's men's team in 2000
- Third-largest margin of victory in NCAA national championship game history
- Sixth school in NCAA history with men's and women's basketball championships
- Held both Final Four opponents 35 points below their season average
- Second-fewest points allowed in the Final Four (95) by a champion
Betts named Most Outstanding Player
Betts' day got off to a concerning start when she went to the bench with an apparent throat issue in the first quarter and was coughing and using an inhaler on the bench. She was given the all clear to return early in the second quarter and never looked back.
Betts finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks for her fourth double-double of the tournament and was named Most Outstanding Player.
For the tournament, Betts averaged 21 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 blocks on 68.8% shooting. In the process, she became the sixth player to record at least 120 points, 50 rebounds and 15 blocks in a single NCAA Tournament since blocks became official in 1988.
"You know what, it's nothing new, I get beat up pretty much every single game, so I think it's just having mental toughness, believing in my teammates, knowing that they're gonna get me catches, and just continue to work hard," Betts said, when asked about battling through adversity. "I do it for my teammates, I don't do it for me."
