UCLA rolls past South Carolina for first NCAA women's national championship

PHOENIX —UCLA finally broke through, winning its first women's basektball national championship of the NCAA era.

The Bruins dominated South Carolina, routing the Gamecocks 79-51 Sunday, April 5 at the Mortgage Matchup Center. The team, which features five senior starters and six players who are likely to be drafted into the WNBA April 13, posted a wire-to-wire win.

Starters Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens are the first group to earn a title for the UCLA women since Ann Meyers Drysdale & Co. won an AIAW national championship in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era for women.

The Bruins dominated in the paint with 6-foot-7 center Betts, outrebounding the Gamecocks 49-36 and outscoring them 40-28. Jaquez led all scorers with 21 points. Kneepkens added 15 points. Betts had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Tessa Johnson led South Carolina with with 14 points. Joyce Edwards had 11 rebounds. The Gamecocks shot 30% from the field. They lost for the second consecutive season in the championship game by more than 20 points.

WOMEN'S SPORTS: The latest news and insider insights from USA TODAY Studio IX.

"We just didn't have it today, we tried, but we just didn't have it," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.

It is the first women’s basketball national championship for the Big Ten since Purdue won in 1999. UCLA is in its second season in the conference.

The Bruins are the first new champion of the NCAA era since South Carolina won its first title in 2017. Cori Close is the first coach not named Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, Muffet McGraw, Tara VanDerveer or Kim Mulkey to win a title since Gary Blair's 2011 title with Texas A&M.

The Bruins have now won NCAA championships in 11 different women's sports, and its basketball title is the 46th championship overall for UCLA's women's teams in the NCAA era.

Bruins' lead is 30

Four players for the Bruins are in double figures and they have held the Gamecocks to 13 points in the half.

UCLA alumna Monique Billings cheers on Bruins

End of Q3: UCLA 57, South Carolina 30

The Bruins held the Gamecocks to five points in the third quarter and appear to be cruising to their first NCAA women's basketball championship. UCLA now has three players in double figures. Lauren Betts has a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Getting chippy

Tensions are running high in the NCAA national title game. South Carolina’s Agot Makeer and UCLA’s Kiki Rice had to be separated under the basket in the third quarter. The incident happened with 2:37 remaining in the frame after Makeer appeared to push Rice out of her way after UCLA’s Charlisse Leger-Walker blocked Maker’s layup attempt.

South Carolina's inexperience may be hurting them against UCLA

As South Carolina is down at least 20 points in the third, here's what Dawn Staley said to USA TODAY on Feb. 8 about her roster: "This year's team is a lot different than our previous championship teams. One, the previous championship teams had a core that had been together for at least an entire season or two," Staley said. 

"We don't have the luxury of that. We may have one or two pieces that have been part of a championship, but 90 percent, 80 percent of our team hasn't experienced a championship. Not even a national championship [or] a conference championship."

Lauren Betts first Bruin to double figures

Betts scored on a layup to get to 10 points before teammate Gabriela Jaquez had a layup of her own. She now has 11 points. UCLA is out to a 48-26 lead with 5:41 to go in the third quarter.

UCLA stretches lead to 18 points

The Bruins have gone on a 7-2 run to start the second half and lead 43-25.

Olympian Ilona Maher, Red Panda takeover halftime

Olympian Ilona Maher and Red Panda were the halftime show entertainment for Sunday in Phoenix. Maher tossed a few bowls Red Panda's way in an awesome collaboration. What a crossover.

Halftime: UCLA 36, South Carolina 23

The Bruins are dominating the paint, outrebounding the Gamecocks, 29-17. UCLA is also outscoring the South Carolina 20-12 in the lane.

Six players for the Bruins have five or more points each at the break Gianna Kneepkens and Gabriela Jaquez are leading the way with seven points apiece.

Tessa Johnson leads the Gamecocks with 10 points and Joyce Edwards has six rebounds.

Ta’Niya Latson scores for South Carolina

Ta’Niya Latson got her first field goal of the night with 2:48 remaining in the first half after intercepting a bad pass from UCLA’s Charlisse Leger-Walker. After Latson made the layup, she got an emphatic chest bump from Raven Johnson. Latson and Johnson won three consecutive state championships together at Westlake High School in Atlanta, in addition to the GEICO National title in 2021. 

Latson’s layup cut South Carolina's deficit to 32-21. Latson is up to four points and three rebounds in the first national championship game of her career.

Red Panda announced as halftime performer

Acrobat Red Panda, a popular halftime performer known for juggling various items while riding a 7-foot unicycle, was announced as the halftime entertainment at the 2026 NCAA Championship Game between UCLA and South Carolina.

Red Panda’s act involves catching and balancing bowls on her head and feet while riding a unicycle. She’s performed at various NBA and WNBA games throughout her career.

UCLA take 15-point lead

The Bruins are shooting 45% from the field compared to 21% for the Gamecocks. UCLA lead 32-17 with 4:34 to go in the half. Gabriela Jaquez has seven points and Angela Dugalic and Lauren Betts have six points apiece.

Lauren Betts returns

Lauren Betts checked back into the game with 8:41 remaining in the second quarter as UCLA led South Carolina 26-14. Moments before checking in, Betts was doing guided deep breaths with a trainer on the bench. It’s not clear what caused Betts to ask to come out the game in the first quarter, but she was seen motioning to her throat area and repeatedly coughing on the bench. Betts has four points and five rebounds in nine minutes.

Lauren Betts throat injury?

Lauren Betts motioned to the bench and checked out of the game with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter. Betts immediately went to the bench and began talking with a trainer as she coughed into a towel and motioned toward her throat area. Betts remained on the bench the remainder of the first quarter.

She is returning to game with 8:41 left in the half.

End of Q1: UCLA 21, South Carolina 10

Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker each scored five points apiece as the Bruins built a double-digit lead over the Gamecocks. UCLA opened the game on a 13-4 run, capped off by a pair of free throws from Jaquez. UCLA made a trio of 3-pointers and were outrebounding South Carolina by seven. Tessa Johnson had three points for the Gamecocks.

Gamecocks trying to find offense

South Carolina has struggled to find its offensive rhythm so far. The Gamecocks opened Sunday’s title game shooting 1-of-9 from the field and 0-of-2 from the 3-point line before South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson got a layup to go with 4:53 remaining in the first quarter. She was fouled by Sienna Betts on the play and heads to the line.

Gabriela Jaquez has five points and four rebounds to lead UCLA. Lauren Betts has scored four and grabbed two rebounds to help the Bruins to a 13-6 lead at the first TV timeout.

Jerzy Robinson repping South Carolina

Jerzy Robinson, the fifth-ranked 2026 recruit in the nation, is sitting courtside at the national championship game in Phoenix and making no secrets about who she's rooting for. The 6-foot guard from Sierra Canyon High School is wearing a shirt that says, "Who can guard Tessa?" − a nod to something LSU coach Kim Mulkey said when the Gamecocks beat the Tigers earlier this season.

We are underway in Phoenix

Senior center Lauren Betts scored the first basket of the the game for the Bruins.

South Carolina vs UCLA: NCAA Championship date, start time

The South Carolina Gamecocks and UCLA Bruins and will face off Sunday, April 5 at the Mortgage Matchup Center, home of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.

• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT)

• Date: Sunday, April 5

• Location: Mortgage Matchup Center (Phoenix)

How to watch South Carolina vs UCLA: TV channel, streaming

South Carolina vs. UCLA will air live on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET on April 5, with streaming options on Fubo and ESPN Unlimited.