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Obama, Newsom congratulate UCLA for winning first NCAA women’s basketball championship

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by Max Rego - 04/05/26 9:13 PM ET

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by Max Rego - 04/05/26 9:13 PM ET

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The women’s basketball program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) captured its first NCAA title on Sunday, receiving praise from former President Obama and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) after the victory.

The No. 1-seed Bruins, led by head coach Cori Close, completed a 37-1 season by defeating No. 1-seed South Carolina 79-51 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. UCLA senior guard Gabriela Jaquez racked up 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a steal, while her backcourt partner Gianna Kneepkens scored 15 points of her own and dished out four assists.

First-team All-American center Lauren Betts, meanwhile, had 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks en route to media members naming her the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

“I knew we were going to do it,” a teary-eyed Jaquez told ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the court after the final buzzer. “Coming to UCLA, we all set out for a goal, and I imagined this moment. I imagined it so many times, and I’m just so, so proud.”

Obama, an avid hoops fan, congratulated the Bruins on their championship on Sunday — despite picking them to lose in the title game to the University of Connecticut (UConn) in his pre-tournament bracket.

“Congratulations to Lauren Betts and the sensational seniors at @UCLAWBB for winning their first NCAA Championship!” the former president wrote on the social platform X.

Newsom also touted the Bruins, writing on X, “HUGE congrats, @UCLAWBB!!”

In honor of the Bruins, the top of the Empire State Building is lit up in light blue and yellow in honor of the Bruins until 10 p.m. ET on Sunday.

While the championship is UCLA’s first NCAA title in women’s basketball, the Bruins won it all in the 1978 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women tournament — the precursor to the NCAA tournament. It is also the university’s 126th NCAA title across all sports, placing it second only to Stanford University.

South Carolina, which won the championship in 2017, 2022 and 2024, lost in the title game for the second consecutive year. The Gamecocks fell 82-59 to UConn in the title game last April, a loss they avenged by beating the previously unbeaten Huskies 62-48 in the Final Four on Friday.

The loss to UCLA marked the fifth title game appearance for South Carolina in the last nine tournaments under head coach Dawn Staley. Despite the end result, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) congratulated the Gamecocks on their 36-4 season.

“.@GamecockWBB and Coach @dawnstaley showed what heart, leadership, and discipline look like all season, Scott wrote on X. “Well done – you fought hard and made South Carolina proud through every step of the journey.”

On the men’s side, No. 1-seed University of Michigan will face No. 2-seed UConn in the title game on Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The 36-3 Wolverines are gunning for their second NCAA title in program history, while the 34-5 Huskies have a chance to win their third title in the last four years and seventh overall.

Michigan knocked off the University of Arizona, Obama’s pick to win it all, in Saturday’s semifinal. Earlier in the evening, UConn defeated the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a team that the former president also had in his men’s Final Four.

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