UCLA Women Win First NCAA Title, LA Celebrates Big

When UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close arrived in Westwood back in 2011, someone told her they weren't sure she could ever make Los Angeles care about women's basketball. On Wednesday night, thousands of fans packed Pauley Pavilion to prove that doubter wrong.

The Bruins celebrated their first NCAA women's basketball championship since 1978 with their community. Players danced with the trophy, tossed confetti, and soaked in the love from fans who've been following their journey all season.

The championship victory came Sunday when UCLA dominated South Carolina 79-51 in Phoenix. Nearly 10 million people tuned in to watch, making it the third most-viewed women's championship game since 1996.

Lauren Betts, the team's standout center, wore her championship cap backward with a piece of the net tucked inside. "This is my net, man," she said. "No one can take this from me. It's mine forever."

The celebration felt like a family reunion. Gabriela Jaquez led the crowd in UCLA's traditional eight-clap while the band played the fight song. She thanked the young fans who had given the team friendship bracelets, cookies, and notes of encouragement throughout the season.

One of the most moving moments came when a group traveled all the way from New Zealand to honor guard Charlisse Leger-Walker. Young basketball players from the Tamaki Basketball Academy performed a traditional Maori dance to celebrate Leger-Walker becoming the first New Zealand women's basketball player to win an NCAA title.

The Ripple Effect

This championship means more than adding another banner to Pauley Pavilion's ceiling. For nearly five decades, the only women's basketball championship banner hanging there was from 1978, when the team won the AIAW title (the precursor to the NCAA tournament). Former star Denise Curry, who played on that historic team, attended the celebration and couldn't wait to see her championship get some company.

Close's victory now places her alongside coaching legend John Wooden, whose teams won 10 national titles. Wooden mentored Close before his death in 2010, and his family sent congratulations after the win. His great-granddaughter even shared a photo of herself and her daughter dressed in UCLA gear, showing how the legacy continues across generations.

The team has become LA's newest celebrities. They've already visited the Lakers, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show, attended a Clippers game, and have a Dodgers game appearance scheduled next week.

Six seniors led this championship team, and they made sure to share the moment with everyone who supported them along the way. "We could not have done it without you," Jaquez told the crowd, which included families, students, and young athletes seeing what's possible.

Los Angeles didn't just show up for women's basketball—the city embraced it, celebrated it, and claimed it as their own triumph.