UCLA’s first NCAA women’s basketball national championship drew a wave of reader praise after the Bruins beat South Carolina on Sunday. One reader put it simply: “UCLA BRUINS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!”
The win was especially meaningful for readers who followed the team’s rise from the start. Four years ago, Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez were co-MVPs of the McDonald’s All-American game, and they were the first co-MVPs of that annual showcase to head to the same college program. They were also the only remaining members of UCLA’s 2022 No. 1 recruiting class when the Bruins finished the job on Sunday.
That core was joined by a championship cast built for this moment. Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalic, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens all arrived as graduate-student or senior transfers from former Pac-12 teams, giving UCLA the size and experience to match South Carolina in the title game.
Readers said the result felt earned because UCLA could win in more than one way. One said the team looked ready to make a run after seeing its first-round victory in person. Another said UCLA was the best team because it could compete in any style of play. A third said the championship banner would look right hanging in the rafters.
The letters also found a sharp contrast in the mood after the final buzzer. On Friday, there was an angry confrontation between coaches at the end of the South Carolina-UConn game. By Sunday, readers said UCLA’s postgame reaction felt different. One called it refreshing to watch after the Bruins soundly defeated South Carolina. Another said the title was especially sweet because UCLA had to defeat USC in the title game, even as one Trojan alum admitted it was awkward to watch.
Gabriela Jaquez drew strong support in the mailbag, too. One reader wrote, “What a great article on Gabriela [Jaquez] by Mirjam [Swanson.]” That same reader added, “Having said that, Gabriela would have been my choice for MVP, but I’m fine with Lauren [Betts.]” Another reader made the same case for Betts. In the end, the reaction matched the championship itself: UCLA did not just win its first NCAA title. It won over readers who saw a team that had the talent, the transfers and the composure to finish the season with a banner.
