UCLA G Kiki Rice breaks down turnaround from Final Four to WNBA draft
UCLA guard, Kiki Rice, discusses the short turnaround from Final Four semifinal to national championship to WNBA draft within the following week.
The UCLA Bruins and South Carolina Gamecocks faced off on Sunday, April 5, 2026, in the women’s national championship game.
Who won the Women’s March Madness title game?
What was the score of the Women’s NCAA Tournament championship game?
Who stood out in the women’s national title game?
Look back at our live score updates to see how the women’s national title matchup, which was played at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, went down.
Watch UCLA vs South Carolina on FUBO (free trial)
The score of the South Carolina vs UCLA women’s national championship game was UCLA 79, South Carolina 51.
The UCLA Bruins won the women’s national championship game over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday, April 5, 2026, 79-51.
The UCLA Bruins are the Women’s NCAA Tournament champions.
UCLA completed a dominant 37-1 season with a 79-51 win over South Carolina in the Women’s national championship game on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Bruins dominated the game against the Gamecocks in all phases. UCLA is just the second Big Ten team to win the Women’s Final Four.
Gabriela Jaquez led the Bruins with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. All five UCLA starters scored in double figures.
UCLA had a 49-36 advantage in rebounding.
South Carolina finished the season with a 36-4 record.
Final score: UCLA 79, South Carolina 51
UCLA started pulling some of its starters with 3:46 left, while holding a 76-45 lead.
They are starting to celebrate a national title for the Bruins.
And it has been a dominate performance in all phases of the game.
Score: UCLA 79, South Carolina 45 (2:52 left in fourth quarter)
All five starters for UCLA are now in double figures, led by Gabriela Jaquez, who has 16 points.
Tessa Johnson leads South Carolina with 14 points, but none of her teammates have more than six points.
South Carolina averages 87.6 points per game on the season and has 38 in this game with 6:31 remaining.
That’s pretty remarkable.
Score: UCLA 67, South Carolina 38 (6:31 left in fourth quarter)
Did you see this coming?
South Carolina was a 4.5-point favorite in odds for the women’s national championship game against UCLA before the game.
And UCLA leads by 29 after three quarters.
The Bruins have dominated defensively.
Joyce Edwards has just four points on 1-for-8 shooting for South Carolina. Raven Johnson has two points on 1-for-5 shooting. Ta’Niya Latson has four points on 1-for-5 shooting.
And they have played 30 minutes at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
South Carolina is just 12-for-49 from the field and 1-for-11 from 3 in this game.
UCLA outscored South Carolina in the third quarter, 25-9.
South Carolina hasn’t scored more than 13 points in a quarter in this game.
Score: UCLA 61, South Carolina 32 (end of third quarter)
The Bruins are just dominating the Gamecocks in this game.
UCLA has now led by as many as 27.
The Bruins are firing on all cylinders offensively. They are dominating defensively.
They have outscored South Carolina in the second half, 21-7.
Score: UCLA 57, South Carolina 30 (1:50 left in third quarter)
UCLA evidently knows how to start off halves.
After a strong start to the game, the Bruins have also got off to a strong start to the second half, outscoring South Carolina 12-3 to build a 22-point lead.
South Carolina is just 10-for-40 from the field. UCLA is now 20-for-46.
Lauren Betts is up to 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting for the Bruins, who are dominating the glass against the Gamecocks.
UCLA has a 36-21 edge in rebounds and a 14-8 edge on offensive boards.
Score: UCLA 48, South Carolina 26 (5:41 left in third quarter)
Gabriela Jaquez has been huge for the Bruins.
She now has a team-high 9 points and a team-high 9 rebounds, as well as a team-high 4 assists.
UCLA’s lead is now up to 19 points.
Score: UCLA 44, South Carolina 25 (7:03 left in third quarter)
UCLA withstood South Carolina’s pressure at the end of the first half to take a 13-point lead into the locker room.
South Carolina couldn’t get closer than 11 points late.
UCLA has led by as many as 15.
Tessa Johnson has 10 points for South Carolina on 4-for-6 shooting, but is getting no help from her teammates. No other South Carolina player has more than four points.
The Gamecocks were just 9-for-35 from the field in the first half.
Gianna Kneepkens had a couple of clutch baskets late in the first half. She has seven points to lead the Bruins, tied with Gabriela Jaquez.
UCLA was 15-for-35 from the field in the first two quarters.
Here’s a glaring stat: UCLA had 29 rebounds in the first half. South Carolina had 17.
UCLA also had a 20-12 advantage in points in the paint.
All things considered, South Carolina might be lucky to only be down 13 at this point.
Halftime score: UCLA 36, South Carolina 23
South Carolina has been looking for a burst in the first half of the women’s championship game against UCLA.
The Gamecocks are getting it with an increase in pressure on the Bruins.
UCLA struggled with pressure from Texas in the national semifinals, and those struggles have returned in the last couple of minutes, with some costly turnovers.
South Carolina is now within 11.
Tessa Johnson leads South Carolina with eight points. She is 3-for-5 from the floor. The rest of the team is 5-for-27.
No other starter for the Gamecocks has more than four points.
Score: UCLA 32, South Carolina 21 (2:48 left in first half)
UCLA has led by as many as 15 in the first half.
The Bruins are 13-for-29 from the floor. South Carolina is just 6-for-28.
UCLA is 3-for-6 from 3. South Carolina is 1-for-8.
UCLA also has a 23-15 edge in rebounds.
A concern for South Carolina? Ta’Niya Latson took a shot from Angela Dugalic on a screen and was shown grimacing on the sideline, but did return to the floor.
Lauren Betts also returned to the game for UCLA after missing time with an apparent injury. The ABC broadcast reported that she said “there’s something stuck in my throat” and she was shown using an inhaler.
Score: UCLA 32, South Carolina 17 (4:34 left in second quarter)
The Bruins couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the first quarter.
UCLA went on an 8-0 run to end the first 10 minutes, highlighted by a 3-point basket from Kiki Rice at the end of the quarter to give UCLA its biggest lead.
South Carolina could have held the ball for the last shot of the quarter, but attempted a quick shot. UCLA took advantage.
Five Bruins have scored for UCLA, which was 8-for-18 from the field in the first quarter and 2-for-4 from 3.
South Carolina was 3-for-18 from the field and 1-for-5 from 3.
A concern for UCLA? Lauren Betts exited the game and was seen in some discomfort on the bench.
Score: UCLA 21, South Carolina 10 (End of first quarter)
UCLA had 23 turnovers in its win over Texas in the national semifinals, a very high number, so taking care of the ball will be key against South Carolina in this game.
The Bruins are off to a good start, with just two turnovers in a wild, frenetic game so far at Mortgage Matchup Center.
South Carolina has one turnover.
The shooting edge continues to be the story early, with UCLA 6-for-15 from the field and South Carolina 3-for-15.
Score: UCLA 16, South Carolina 10 (1:14 left in first quarter)
The Bruins have gotten off to a fast start in the Women’s Final Four against Texas.
They are off to another quick start in the women’s national championship game against South Carolina.
Lauren Betts has four early points and and the Bruins are off to a hot start from the field at the first break in action at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
UCLA is 5-for-8 from the field. South Carolina is just 2-for-10. UCLA had a 7-0 run early.
Score: UCLA 13, South Carolina 6 (4:54 left in first quarter)
The stage is set as fans packed in line are waiting in anticipation for the women’s college basketball national championship.
A sea of blue and gold made its march to the line, chanting UCLA fight songs as fans made their way into the arena.
South Carolina fans sporting Gamecocks shirts and jerseys were laughing alongside the Bruins fans as they prepared for the showdown between their powerhouse programs.
— Christian Cervantes
The South Carolina vs UCLA Women’s NCAA Tournament national championship game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. MST (3:30 p.m. EDT) on Sunday, April 5.
The UCLA vs South Carolina Women’s Final Four national championship game can be seen on ABC.
How to watch women’s national championship game: South Carolina vs UCLA | Schedule | TV channels | Announcers
South Carolina vs UCLA can be streamed on FUBO and other streaming services that carry ABC. FUBO offers a free trial.
Ryan Ruocco will have the play-by-play call of the UCLA vs South Carolina Women’s NCAA Tournament game, with Rebecca Lobo as the analyst and Holly Rowe as the reporter for the Women’s March Madness national championship matchup.
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the South Carolina Gamecocks are a 4.5-point favorite over the UCLA Bruins in the women’s national championship of the NCAA Tournament.
BetMGM Sportsbook lists South Carolina as -185 on the moneyline for the Women’s March Madness NCAA Tournament national championship game. It has UCLA at +155.
Women’s national championship game odds: South Carolina vs UCLA | Betting odds
The point total for the Women’s NCAA Tournament March Madness national championship game between South Carolina and UCLA is listed at 127.5 points, per BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Arizona Republic is predicting a 71-65 win for South Carolina over UCLA in the national championship game.
Jeremy Cluff writes: “South Carolina opened as a slight favorite over UCLA in this game, but after a dominant performance against UConn, we think the Gamecocks should be favored by more against the Bruins. UCLA, led by Lauren Betts, is tough and can’t be counted out, but Ta’Niya Latson and South Carolina will prove to be too much.”
Women’s national championship game picks: South Carolina vs UCLA | The Republic’s score prediction | Win probabilities
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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