NCAA National Championship: UCLA powers its way to the program’s first NCAA title with a 79-51 rout of the Gamecocks (AUDIO)

UCLA 79 — USC 51 (National Championship Game Summary)

• The victory crowned UCLA NCAA national champions for the first time in program history. The trophy will now sit beside the Bruins’ AIAW national championship from 1978
• In November of last year, UCLA outscored the Gamecocks 43-22 in the first half, en route to a 77-62 win in Los Angeles. In that game, USC made just nine field goals in the opening twenty minutes. Sunday’s matinee turned out to be a repeat performance for the Bruins, especially on the defensive end.
• The Gamecocks were again held to nine field goals and found themselves down 36-23 at the break in Phoenix. According to ESPN, over the last ten tournaments, South Carolina had faced a halftime deficit of ten or more points just three times in 46 games. USC lost all three of them: UConn (2018), Baylor (2019), and UConn (2025)
• Things did not improve for Carolina in the second half as UCLA kept the pedal down on both ends of the court. The Bruins turned the game into a rout by outscoring USC 25-9 in the third quarter to open a 61-32 advantage heading to the fourth
• The Gamecocks won the fourth quarter 19-18, but the outcome had already been decided. Tessa Johnson led the way for USC with 14 points, while Agot Makeer added eleven
• All five starters for UCLA scored in double figures, with Gabriela Jaquez leading the way, notching a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. Lauren Betts also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards
• USC concludes the season at 36-4 with a sixth consecutive trip to the “Final Four” and a third straight appearance in the national title game

USC HC Dawn Staley, Ta’Niya Latson, Raven Johnson, & Tessa Johnson — Postgame Presser