Hours after the UCLA women’s basketball team was crowned national champion, it was treated like royalty by some of its most loyal fans.
The Bruins made their return to their Westwood campus on Sunday night shortly after beating South Carolina in the NCAA tournament final in Phoenix, and as soon as their bus pulled up to Pauley Pavilion, they received a hero’s welcome.
People clad in the team colors of blue and gold lined walkways and cheered as Gabriela Jaquez, Lauren Betts and company hopped off their ride with their new trophy in their hands.
UCLA supporters held up signs and clapped, and at one point, they directed a “Thank you, coach” chant at Cori Close.
Close then returned the favor by yelling out some thank-you’s of her own before she repeatedly blew a spectator’s air horn.
It was a fitting celebration for the Bruins, who dominated the Gamecocks, 79–51, at the Mortgage Matchup Center to secure their first-ever NCAA championship.
Jaquez led the way with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Betts shined with 14 points and 11 boards of her own. And Gianna Kneepkens poured in 15 points to ultimately help UCLA lift its newest prize.
“It’s a storybook, right?” Close told the California Post immediately after the victory. “That’s the definition of competitive greatness, according to coach [John Wooden], is a byproduct of all the work and being able to be your best when your best is needed.”
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