UCLA Women's Basketball Celebrates First NCAA Title

When UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close arrived in Westwood in 2011, someone told her she might never make Los Angeles care about women's basketball.

On Wednesday night, thousands of fans packed half of Pauley Pavilion to prove that doubter spectacularly wrong. The Bruins brought home their first NCAA women's basketball championship after demolishing South Carolina 79-51 in Phoenix, and the celebration was pure joy.

Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, and Charlisse Leger-Walker kicked off the party by performing their signature TikTok dance with the championship trophy gleaming behind them. Angela Dugalic made snow angels in the blue and gold confetti covering the court while mascots Joe Bruin and Josephine Bruin danced alongside them.

The championship game drew 9.9 million viewers, making it the third most-watched women's title game since 1996. That's millions of people who witnessed UCLA's dominant performance and fell in love with this team of best friends who made history together.

"This team is going to go down in history," said Betts, wearing her championship cap backward with a piece of the net tucked in front. "We've earned it."

Soon a banner will join the rafters at Pauley Pavilion, keeping company with the school's 1978 AIAW championship banner. That puts Coach Close's achievement alongside John Wooden's legendary 10 national titles with the men's team.

The Ripple Effect

The impact reaches far beyond Los Angeles. Charlisse Leger-Walker became the first New Zealand women's basketball player to win an NCAA title, inspiring kids back home who now see what's possible.

Young men from the Tamaki Basketball Academy in Auckland flew all the way to Los Angeles just to perform a traditional Maori dance honoring Leger-Walker. She wrapped herself in her native country's flag as they celebrated her achievement.

The six seniors thanked everyone who supported them, from the fans who packed the arena to the little kids who gave them friendship bracelets, cookies, and handwritten notes. Wooden's son Jim texted congratulations, and his great-granddaughter sent photos of her daughter dressed in UCLA gear.

The celebration continued beyond Pauley Pavilion too. The team visited the Lakers, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show, watched the Clippers play, and have a Dodgers game on the schedule.

"I did wake up this morning after a couple more hours of sleep and I'm like, 'Wow, this is real,'" Leger-Walker said, laughing.

Betts captured the eternal magic of the moment perfectly: "This is my net, man. No one can take this from me. It's mine forever."