As the final seconds drained from the clock inside the Mortgage Matchup Center, players cascaded onto the hardwood, while a seemingly endless supply of blue and gold confetti rained down from above. 

At last, the Bruins were champions.

However, after the nets were cut down and the celebrations passed, reality began to set in for senior center Lauren Betts, who used the time to reflect on how far the team had come since UCLA’s hard-fought Final Four loss to UConn just over a year ago. 

“I never wanted to feel that way again,” Betts said.

Following that grueling loss in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four, Betts and UCLA (37-1) lost just one game en route to the program's first NCAA national championship, in a 79-51 rout of South Carolina (36-4) on Sunday, April 5. The Bruins continued a tradition of excellence at a school known for nothing but the best, breaking new ground in the NCAA. 

UCLA in 2026 dominated as much as any team to ever grace the hardwood, losing just a single game all season, especially in the tournament.

Along their path to the title, the Bruins ran up the score, beating teams by an average of 23.8 points, including a seven-point victory in the semifinals over Texas, the lone team that conquered them. 

Despite the ongoing 31-game win streak, no player on the team put themselves before the end goal, a mentality that Betts credited in their triumph. 

“It's just buying into the process, we have everybody you could possibly want on a team,” Betts said. “The maturity to come in and sacrifice yourself and your ego and be able to put that aside for moments like these, it makes it so worth it.

“No one's gonna really care how much you averaged this season, when you have a freaking ring around your finger.” 

Head coach Cori Close also highlighted the team's sacrifice, stating that UCLA’s six seniors would likely be All-Americans elsewhere. 

Although the championship was already special, being the program's first, there was a bit more emotion behind it for the squad's veteran members. 

Winning the title felt bittersweet for the six seniors who, while achieving their dream, played their last game together for the Bruins.

“We're such a close group of girls, and I'm gonna miss them so much,” Betts said. 

These departures really hit home for Close, who views the team as her second home. 

“They literally are my family,” Close said. “I don't have a family of my own, so I really do think of them like children.”

The veteran core's presence was felt throughout the tournament, with UCLA’s core six combining to score all the team's points in the Final Four. 

While Betts dominated throughout the tournament, earning the Most Outstanding Player award, senior guard Gabriela Jaquez stole the show on Sunday. 

Jaquez led the team with 21 points; however, the most impactful part of her game came on the glass, where she constantly made her presence felt, accumulating 10 rebounds, including four offensive. 

“Going into the game doing whatever the team needed, focusing on defense and rebounding, that was a big part of our scouting report,” Jaquez said. 

The Bruins' emphasis on the glass worked Sunday, as they outrebounded the Gamecocks 49-37, including 21 offensive rebounds, which led to 25 second-chance points in the high-scoring affair. 

Alongside Jaquez, senior guard Kiki Rice stood out, scoring 10 and assisting five.

Jaquez called Sunday’s performance special, as she and Rice joined the program as freshmen in 2022. 

“Coming in, that was the plan to cut down nets,” Jaquez said. “We talked about it a lot, and the fact that we won a national championship, our senior year. It really does mean everything.”

Rice shared the sentiment, saying the squad's bond is the reason they’re so special.

“The love we have for each other has really motivated us this whole season, because we just want to do it for each other,” Rice said. 

Right behind Jaquez in scoring was graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens, who added 15 points, including three from beyond the arc. Prior to this season, Kneepkens starred at Utah, averaging 19.3 points per game while shooting 44.8% from the 3-point line.

Despite the numbers, Kneepkens said she bought into UCLA’s system and has reaped the benefits ever since. 

“Gianna (Kneepkens) is such a selfless player,” Rice said. “Her transition has been so seamless because of how she's just been willing to dive right into our culture, and help make us better.”

Although Kneepkens was new to the program, Jaquez felt that she was the “ultimate competitor” in the Bruins locker room. 

“Being teammates with her has been so much fun,” Jaquez said. “She works so hard, and you always have trust in a person like that, because they're going to be prepared.”

Headlined by Betts, UCLA’s defense thrived throughout Sunday's affair, holding South Carolina to 29% shooting from the field and turning them over 14 times. 

“​​It starts with that perimeter pressure, and our guard did a really good job making it difficult for them,” Betts said. “Once we get stops, they're not able to do what they want to do.”

After battling mental health struggles and transferring in from Stanford as a sophomore, Betts has etched her name alongside other Bruin greats after capturing the program’s first national title.

“When I came in my sophomore year, I was completely different than I am today. I had zero confidence and I wasn't sure if I wanted to play basketball for that much longer,” Betts said. “Coach Cori (Close) stayed patient with me, and she wanted to see me accomplish everything that I dreamed of.”

After stressing the team's mentality of always trying to play one more game, Jaquez put it simply. 

“Job’s finished,” Jaquez said.