It wasn’t meant to be this year for the South Carolina women’s basketball team, as the Gamecocks lost the national championship game to UCLA 79-51.

The Gamecocks were overwhelmed from the jump and suffered their second straight loss in the championship after losing last season’s game to UConn. 

“I thought they came out and disrupted from a defensive standpoint. Then they pretty much got what they wanted offensively. When they did it, they created second-chance opportunities,” Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley said. “We just didn't have it today. We tried, but we just didn't have it today.”

South Carolina struggled in all facets of the game, while UCLA dominated. The Gamecocks shot a season-low 29% from the floor and 13% from three. The team was outrebounded 49-37 and had more turnovers. 

UCLA, meanwhile, hit 43% of its shots and went 8-19 from three. The Bruins rolled out a starting lineup of all seniors, and each of them hit double-digit scoring while playing over 25 minutes. 

“They're experienced. Experience goes a long way,” South Carolina’s Raven Johnson said after playing her last game in garnet and black. “They out-rebounded us, had second-chance effort. Yeah, they were ready to play.”

UCLA’s Lauren Betts was named Most Outstanding Player. She controlled the paint all game and finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. 

Gabriela Jaquez led all scorers with 21 points and added 10 rebounds, five assists and a steal. 

Tessa Johnson was South Carolina’s leading scorer, finishing with 14 points on 6-12 shooting. Agot Makeer was the only other South Carolina player to reach double figures, scoring 11 points. 

“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 6'7" [center],” Staley said.  “You have to navigate differently. You can't go in there thinking you can score over her or through her, so sometimes you have to go in there and draw and kick. … We actually wanted to do that. We took the first shot available. Sometimes that shot didn't go in. A lot of times that shot didn't go in.”

With the win, UCLA earned its first national championship in program history. The Bruins previously won an AIAW tournament championship before the women’s NCAA tournament began in 1982. 

It was also the first championship for long-time UCLA coach Cori Close. She got her start in coaching as an assistant at UCLA in 1993 and returned to the program in 2011 as the head coach. 

Before this year’s national championship, she led the Bruins to two Big Ten tournament championships, a Big Ten regular title, a WNIT championship in 2015 and a Final Four appearance in 2025.

“I'm always happy for people who have worked hard in this game, who are really quality people. I want good things to happen for them. Cori is one of those people who really works at making our game better. Not just UCLA, but our entire game,” Staley said.  “Although we didn't win, I can swallow it because we lost to a really good human being and a good team that represent women's basketball well.”

While the loss stung, South Carolina will have an opportunity to be back next season, with most of its roster having the option to return next season. 

The team will lose three players from this year’s squad, though, after exhausting all of their college eligibility.

This includes star guard Raven Johnson, who has been with the program for five seasons. Johnson leaves as one of the winningest players in program history, reaching the final four every year and winning two national championships.

“Raven was the last of the core group of players that had been together that actually had taken our program to the very top,” Staley said. 

Ta’Niya Latson and Maryam Dauda haven’t been with the program as long, but also made key contributions to the team. Latson was the team’s second leading scorer this season, and Dauda averaged 11 minutes per game off the bench. 

With a full offseason in front of them, the Gamecocks will work to fill that void and retool for another run in 2027. 

“Losing in the national championship game the way we lost, I guess that will be the thing that really drives us,” Staley said. “There's always things that you can work on, there's always this situation that's lurking, like it's always lurking, always in the back of my mind anytime we lose. When we have an opportunity to win a national championship, you just try to get better.”