UCLA Wins its First NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, Dominating South Carolina Gamecocks

Team's star players Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice are headed for the WNBA draft on April 13

By Cynthia Littleton

Cynthia Littleton

Business Editor

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The UCLA women’s basketball team has scored the school’s first-ever women’s NCAA championship title, dominating the South Carolina Gamecocks 79-51 in a hard-fought Easter Sunday game that capped several years of momentum for the Bruin squad that features superstar player Lauren Betts.

Betts, the team’s 6’7″ center, and guard Kiki Rice led the Bruins to overwhelm the Gamecocks throughout the game. Going into the fourth quarter, UCLA had a 29-point (61-32) lead over the Gamecocks, a formidable team who have earned three championship titles in the past 10 years (2017, 2022 and 2024) under the leadership of respected coach Dawn Staley.

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