By: Chloe Wilson

Culture Editor

On Sunday, Apr. 5, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) defeated the University of South Carolina (USC) in the NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament championship. UCLA obtained its first tournament win in school history, ending with a score of 79-59 in the final. Both teams were the number one seed in their regions, making for an exciting game. 

The UCLA Bruins defeated the University of Texas Longhorns on Apr. 3 with a score of 51-44, giving them a ticket to the championship. Additionally, USC beat the University of Connecticut (UConn) on the same day, ending with a score of 62-48. The USC and UConn game concluded with some controversy between the coaching staff, including an argument between head coach Geno Auriemma (UConn) and head coach Dawn Staley (USC). Auriemma was supposedly upset about a missed pre-game handshake and engaged in a verbal altercation after the game. Many arguments across social media platforms arose due to this exchange, and Auriemma later apologized on Apr. 7, saying, “This morning, Dawn Staley and I spoke about our interaction after the game last Friday. I apologized to Dawn, her staff, and her team. I’ve lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But Friday, I lost something more important. I lost myself.” 

The Bruins played incredible defense in the championship game, keeping USC to a 26% shooting rate in the first two quarters, including one for eight three-point shooting. They also took a 13-point lead into halftime. To start the third quarter, they increased the lead by 22 points, which is the largest deficit that USC has faced throughout the whole season. It seemed as if USC had no answers to both UCLA’s offense and defense. According to the ESPN broadcast, UCLA outscored USC by 16 points in the third quarter, which happened to be the largest scoring margin of any quarter in a women’s title-game history. Last year, the USC Gamecocks also lost to UConn with a score of 82-59. For the second year in a row, the team has faced a blowout in its final game of the season.

UCLA concluded the season with an overall record of 37-1, only losing once to Texas in late November of 2025. The Gamecocks ended the season with a record of 36-4. After the final game, head coach of the Bruins, Cori Close, explained, “It’s beyond my wildest dreams. But it’s meaningful because of the people I’ve gotten to share it with. It’s all about the heart. And it would be shallow without an amazing village and incredible people that are important to me my whole life.” It is clear that the Bruins put up a strong fight from the start of the game and were able to make history.

(Sources: CNN, ESPN)