The Guru’s March Madness Daily Report: UCLA Hits South Carolina With a Dominate Rout To Win First NCAA D-1 Crown

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Back in 1978 when the AIAW, then the governing body of women’s sports, went to a Final Four format from a 16-team site, UCLA, led by Ann Meyers Drysdale, claimed the national title and showing the effect of Title IX investment became the first of the big name football and men’s basketball schools to claim a women’s championship.

Five years later the NCAA came along but while the Bruins at times over the years were Top 10 and Top 5 programs, Sunday afternoon here before a sellout crowd of 15,856 in the Mortgage Matchup Center, UCLA ended a long drought between titles at  the expense of Dawn Staley’s South Carolina squad in dealing the third-ever worst defeat in the championship 79-51.

The record differential is 33 in 2013 issued by UConn over Louisville, which would have been topped had not coach Cori Close, now in her 15th season after being an assistant at Florida State, began clearing the bench leading by 35 with 4 minutes, 35 seconds in regulation.

The Gamecocks also avoided the record title game low of 44 points, defensed by Louisiana Tech against Tennessee in 1987, the Techsters that weekend coming off an upset of then No. 1 Texas played in the Longhorns’ town of Austin in the Lonestar State.

Meyers Drysdale was introduced during the game with members of the 1976 USA Olympic squad, the first when the sport became part of the games, and several times lifted her USA attire to flash a blue UCLA top worn underneath while the Bruin faithful roared.

“Cori Close and her staff have done such a terrific job,” Meyers Drysdale told the Associated Press. “You love the joy that they play with, and they sacrifice for each other. They don’t care who scores. They don’t care who gets what recognition. They’re just all about winning.”

Senior center Lauren Betts, a native of Centennial, Colo., whose freshman year was at Stanford and is likely to go high next Monday in the WNBA draft in New York City, was a force in a balanced attack with 14 points and 11 boards to earn Most Outstanding Player accolades.

The high Bruins scorer, though, was Gabriela Jaquez, in an experienced lineup of seniors and graduates, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and five assists, while Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens scored 15, and Kiki Rice and Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker each scored 10 points.

“I knew we were going to do it,” Jaquez said. “Coming to UCLA we all set out for a goal and I imagined this moment, I imagined it so many times, and I am just so proud … I am so happy.”

The win also ended a drought dating to 1999 from Purdue for a member of the Big Ten, which already has claimed the football crown and has the Michigan men playing UConn Monday night.

Current member Maryland won a women’s title in 2006, but the Terrapins were still a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

UCLA reached the NCAA  Final Four last year for the first time after coming into the Big Ten off the breakup of the Pac-12, which next season will return with a collection primarily of West Coast mid-major schools from the West Coast and Mountain West conferences and Washington State and Oregon State, which were not taken by the Big Ten, Big 12 or Atlantic Coast during the breakup.

But the Bruins were routed by UConn in the semifinals as the Huskies broke their own title drought to pick up No. 12 two days later with what is now two back-to-back wide losses in the championship by Staley’s Gamecocks (36-4).

South Carolina, in the championship for the third straight year and four of the last five, was seeking its fourth title after ending UConn’s unbeaten season Friday night at 38-1.

The Bruins were a defensive force, winning the rebound battle 49-37, and 21-17 on the offensive glass to dominate second chance points 19-10 while holding South Carolina to 29% from the field.

UCLA also won in transition, 19-10, mining those points off 14 turnovers.

“I think it starts with perimeter pressure,” Betts said. “Our guards did a really good job of just making it difficult for them. I think once we get stops, they’re just not able to do what they want to do.”

Tessa Johnson scored 14 for South Carolina, which will be a strong favorite to return to the Final Four next year, while freshman Agot Makeer scored 11, but Ta’Niya Latson was held to four points, and Joyce Edwards scored eight.

Staley was magnanimous in defeat, saying, “UCLA is a quality team with very experienced players who got a taste of being in the Final Four last year, and you make adjustments.

“From last year to this year — they played determined last year, but they played more determined this year because they were so close.

“Obviously, we got smacked today,” she continued. “We got to figure out how we can smack back and put ourselves in the position where we’re hoisting the trophy at the end of the day.

“Shots were short. I thought we didn’t really do a good job at making extra passes, like the things we were doing probably worked for other teams, but other teams didn’t have a Betts. You have to navigate differently,” Staley said.

“To get here is hard. To win here is harder, right? We just have to keep getting here and make adjustments when we don’t win.”

UCLA’s only loss was to Texas in early November and were right behind UConn most of the year, many believing the Bruins deserved the overall No. 1 seed off a stronger schedule.

They finish the season with a 31-game winning streak.

“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” Close said. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams.”

Losing the key part of the experienced lineup to expired eligibility, Close quipped, “the (transfer) portal just got easier.”

Jaquez’ brother Jaime, a former Bruin, is a member of the NBA Miami Heat and flew to watch the game.

Former President Obama, who picked UConn over UCLA in his pre-tournament bracket and California governor Gavin Newsom sent the team congratulations, The Hill reported.

Close had confidence before the game of winning and related in the pre-game speech in the locker room saying, “…all year we’ve been saying the talent is our floor, but our character is our ceiling.”

UCLA got revenge Friday night on Texas, winning 51-44, in an ugly defensive performance by both teams of which Close apologized for the performance style.

The Bruins Sunday led every quarter except in a one-point deficit in the fourth, blowing the game open 25-9 in the third after leading 36-23 at the half.

“We just didn’t have it today,” Staley said. “We tried but we just didn’t have it today. They were the better team.”

Asked to provide any further update off the dustup with UConn coach Geno Auriemma Friday night, he sent an apology Saturday but did not name her specifically, Staley said she would address it later.

“This is UCLA’s weekend.”

Last season the Bruins reached No. 1 for the first time in the Associated Press women’s poll, celebrating its 50th anniversary season this time around, and with a post NCAA vote taken for the third time from the national media panel, UCLA will likely be No. 1 in the final vote for a first time.

Betts was joined on the all-tournament team by Jaquez, Rice, Johnson, and Latson.