Ucla Women's Basketball Players Crown Cori Close As Their Champion

UCLA coach Cori Close refused to telephone nan Bruins’ nationalist title triumph Sunday personally validating. She said it didn’t matter what people had thought astir her arsenic a coach.

Her players, though, were arsenic excited for their coach arsenic they were for themselves aft defeating South Carolina 79-51 to declare nan first NCAA nationalist title successful programme history.

“I’m ace proud of her arsenic well, nan measurement she responded arsenic a leader past year,” UCLA elder defender Gabriela Jaquez said. “We responded well. Obviously we’re present now. I deliberation it started pinch Coach Cori and nan measurement she wanted to make a alteration successful our programme and get america backmost here, get this result.”

Close, who has been pinch nan Bruins since 2011, sewage UCLA adjacent past play erstwhile nan Bruins reached nan Final Four and were blown retired by Connecticut successful nan semifinal.

But they turned nan tables connected South Carolina connected Sunday, and Close said nan champion emotion was knowing that her process could work.

“This has been a calling, not a job,” Close said. “I’ve been saying it each day, but I don’t moreover cognize really other to opportunity it, it’s immeasurably much than I could inquire aliases imagine. I’m really grateful.”

UCLA coach Cori Close points crossed nan tribunal and talks pinch defender Kiki Rice during a triumph complete South Carolina successful nan NCAA nationalist title crippled Sunday successful Phoenix.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

At times during her career, Close was viewed arsenic an fantabulous recruiter and beardown motivational speaker, but her tactical decisions were easy to question each clip her squad faltered during large moments. During nan people of UCLA’s triumph complete South Carolina, Close demonstrated each weakness her squad showed during nan past 4 years had been corrected. The result, was a lopsided triumph that announced her presence arsenic 1 of women’s assemblage basketball’s apical coaches.

WNBA prima Caitlin Clark connected posted connected X, “Not galore attraction astir nan crippled arsenic overmuch arsenic Coach Close … couldn’t beryllium happier for her!!”

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said Close and her Bruins deserved each nan praise.

“Cori is 1 of those group who really useful astatine making our crippled better. Not conscionable UCLA, but our full game,” Staley said. “She’s ever speaking out, uplifting our crippled successful truthful galore areas that it’s difficult to proceed to do that while maintaining nan occupation that you person to do each day. But she finds nan time.

UCLA coach Cori Close hugs South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley earlier their teams faced disconnected for a nationalist title Sunday successful Phoenix.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

“Although we didn’t win, I tin swallow it because we mislaid to a really bully quality being and a bully squad that correspond women’s hoops well.”

Close will person to look a rebuild and apt person to activity nan transportation portal difficult successful nan coming weeks to switch her six seniors and postgraduate students. But now, it mightiness beryllium a small spot easier since she’s proven her players bought successful and she tin win.

“Coach Cori really stayed diligent pinch me,” said elder Lauren Betts, who was named nan tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “She wanted to spot maine execute everything that I’d ever dreamed of. They conscionable continued to punctual me, they want maine to spot myself nan measurement they each spot me. I consciousness for illustration now astatine this constituent I tin yet genuinely do that. I deliberation that’s what I’m astir proud of.”

Not only win, either, but successful specified joyous manner that it kept galore of nan players committed to nan programme and each other. Close’s attack yet carried them to a nationalist championship.

UCLA guardant Gabriela Jaquez dribbles nether unit from South Carolina guardant Joyce Edwards Sunday successful Phoenix.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

“It’s astir their activity and their habits yielding,” Close said while tearing up. “We opportunity this, we want to enlistee courageous. There were a batch of times we wondered if it could beryllium true. I said I wanted to find uncommon, courageous women that were consenting to make uncommon choices that possibly perchance could output an uncommon result, and coming it did.”

More emotion for nan nationalist champions

The UCLA women’s hoops team’s triumph sparked celebrations passim nan country.

UCLA two-sport prima Megan Grant, who spent portion of nan autumn practicing and playing connected nan Bruins hoops team, helped nan softball squad expanse Indiana earlier catching a formation to Phoenix. She greeted nan hoops squad astatine its edifice and joined nan celebration, getting decked successful UCLA nationalist title cogwheel and receiving a portion of nan title nett from Close.

Dodgers head Dave Roberts, a proud UCLA alum, recorded a video congratulating nan squad connected its title triumph from 1 champion to another. “You guys made nan full Bruin federation truthful proud,” he said.

Lakers fable Magic Johnson, erstwhile U.S. Soccer prima Abby Wambach, erstwhile President Barack Obama, erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and galore others congratulated nan Bruins connected societal media. The state superior was lit successful UCLA colors Sunday nighttime successful grant of nan Bruins’ win. Fans greeted nan team erstwhile nan Bruins’ autobus from nan airdrome arrived connected field Sunday night.

UCLA is inviting fans to a nationalist title ceremony astatine Pauley Pavilion connected Wednesday night. The charismatic commencement clip has not yet been announced.

Gymnastics advances to NCAA championships

The UCLA gymnastics squad was locked successful a tight conflict Sunday successful Corvallis, Ore., for a spot successful nan nationalist title meet.

The Bruins, however, were assured their super-power arena — nan level exercise, their last rotation — would support live their extremity of winning a nationalist title.

Ciena Alipio scored a 9.875; Mika Webster-Longin, Sydney Barros and Ashlee Sullivan each scored a 9.900; and Tiana Sumanasekera added a 9.925.

Then it was clip for elder Jordan Chiles to adjacent retired nan meet for nan Bruins.

Chiles delivered nan aforesaid move level regular that has earned precocious scores each season, bursting into tears arsenic soon arsenic she stuck nan last landing. She was rewarded pinch her eighth cleanable 10 of nan play and clinched nan location triumph for nan Bruins.

It was UCLA’s 25th NCAA location title and nan program’s first since 2019.

UCLA’s last squad people was 197.725. Minnesota was adjacent successful statement pinch 197.625 and will subordinate nan Bruins arsenic nan teams advancing to nan nationalist title meet.

Longtime UCLA rival Utah placed 3rd pinch 197.500 and Alabama was 4th pinch 197.175.

Louisiana State, Stanford, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Arkansas are nan different six teams that precocious to nan nationalist championships, which will beryllium held April 16 and 18 astatine Dickies Arena successful Fort Worth.

No. 1 UCLA shot sweeps No. 12 USC

The No. 1 UCLA shot squad completed a three-game expanse of No. 12 USC astatine Jackie Robinson Field, rolling to a 10-4 victory.

With nan people tied 3-3 successful nan 5th inning, Will Gasparino deed a two-run homer. Mulivai Levu added a two-run homer successful nan sixth, and Roch Cholowsky tacked connected a three-run blast successful nan eighth.

UCLA earned a 12-4 triumph complete USC connected Friday, past had to rally for a 9-8 triumph Saturday.

The Bruins (29-2, 15-0 Big Ten) are riding a 23-game triumph streak. The Trojans (27-6, 10-5) started nan play connected a 19-game triumph streak but person been challenged by Big Ten competition.

The UCLA shot squad kicked disconnected outpouring workouts this past week. We’ll get our first chance to talk pinch players this week and committedness to person much shot sum successful nan newsletters to come.

In lawsuit you missed it

Plaschke: Bruising Bruins predominate South Carolina, bring different NCAA nationalist title to Westwood

Swanson: Gabriela Jaquez achieves nan UCLA title she ever dreamed of

UCLA crushes South Carolina to triumph NCAA women’s hoops nationalist championship

UCLA players opportunity Cori Close has evolved from motivator to title leader

UCLA fans stitchery successful Arizona to proudly cheer connected Final Four Bruins they admire

Plaschke: UCLA defies expectations pinch a TKO of Texas and isn’t backing down from title fight

Swanson: Becoming nan adjacent South Carolina was ever UCLA’s goal. Now it must hit its inspiration

No. 1 UCLA shot pulls distant from No. 12 USC successful highly anticipated showdown

UCLA defeats Texas to group up nationalist title showdown pinch South Carolina

How viral videos sparked a women’s NCAA tourney revolution

UCLA knocks disconnected Texas, reaches nationalist title game

It’s ‘all aliases nothing’ for UCLA seniors chasing NCAA women’s hoops title

UCLA coach Bob Chesney grades Bruins connected effort not perfection arsenic outpouring shot opens

UCLA gymnasts opportunity remaining calm, assured cardinal to their push for a nationalist title

UCLA assured it tin move past year’s difficult lessons into Final Four success

Five concerns UCLA must reside earlier facing Texas successful nan Final Four

Angela Dugalic surrendered a starting domiciled and unlocked UCLA’s travel to nan Final Four

Prep Rally: Former Southern California precocious schoolhouse standouts fueling UCLA and USC baseball

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Do you person a remark aliases thing you’d for illustration to spot successful a early UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell astatine houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.