Overview
- UCLA routed top-seeded South Carolina 79–51 in Phoenix on Sunday to win the NCAA women’s championship for the first time in program history.
- Gabriela Jáquez led the Bruins with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, becoming the first Mexican woman to claim an NCAA Division I crown.
- Relentless defense defined the game as UCLA held South Carolina to poor shooting and blew the final open with a record-setting third-quarter margin reported by ESPN.
- The Bruins closed a dominant season at 37–1, capping a two-year rise that carried them from consecutive Final Four trips to the summit.
- This was Jáquez’s last game for UCLA, and outlets project her as a likely first-round pick in the WNBA draft, a next step that could boost Mexico’s growing basketball profile.