April 5 (UPI) — Insatiable defensive effort and selfless ball movement helped the UCLA Bruins overwhelm South Carolina on Sunday for their first women’s NCAA basketball title.
The Bruins extended their program-best winning streak to 31 games with the 79-51 thrashing in Phoenix, the third-largest blowout in history for a title game in the Division I women’s basketball tournament.
“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask for or imagine,” Bruins coach Cori Close said on the ESPN broadcast. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams. It’s meaningful because of the people I’ve gotten to share it with.
“It’s all about the heart. It would be shallow without an amazing village of incredible people who have poured into me my whole life.”
Bruins guard Gabriela Jaquez poured in a game-high 21 points, with 10 rebounds and five assists. Fellow seniors Gianna Kneepkens and Lauren Betts chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Betts, a first-team All-American who was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, also recorded 11 rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
“I imagined this moment,” Jaquez said. “I imagined it so many times. I’m just so, so proud.”
The Bruins (37-1), who never trailed, outshot the Gamecocks 43% to 29%. They held a 42% to 13% edge in 3-point shooting. The Bruins also totaled 23 assists against 13 turnovers, compared to the Gamecocks’ nine assists and 14 turnovers.
They led by as many as 35 points and dominated in the paint, with a scoring advantage of 40 to 28 in that area.
Coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks (36-4), who went 3-1 in their previous four national title game appearances, were cold from the opening tip-off. They missed eight of their first nine shots and made just a dozen of their first 50 attempts.
The Bruins outscored the Gamecocks 21-10 over the first 10 minutes. They held a 15-13 edge in the second quarter for a 36-23 advantage at the break. They poured in another 25 points in the third quarter, which they started with a 12-1 run.
The Bruins ended the quarter with a 13-2 surge to carry a 61-32 edge into the final frame.
The Gamecocks outscored the Bruins 19-18 over the final 10 minutes, but never came close to closing their massive deficit. UCLA’s 28-point victory trailed only UConn’s 33-point win over Louisville in 2013 and UConn’s 31 point win over Syracuse in 2016.
The Bruins also made history as the first women’s college basketball team to get all of their points from seniors in the Final Four and championship. That group totaled the Bruins’ final 173 points of the tournament.
Bruins guards Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice, a third-team All-American, recorded 10 points apiece
The Bruins held second-team All-American forward Joyce Edwards to eight points. The sophomore, who averaged 19.5 points per game this season, made only 3 of 10 shots in the title game.
Junior guard Tessa Johnson led the Gamecocks with 14 points. Senior guard Raven Johnson, a third-team All-American and two-time national champion, made just 1 of 7 shots for three points.
About the Author
