Stephen A. Smith was left stunned by UCLA's historic NCAA title win. The ESPN analyst expected South Carolina to lose, but not in a blowout. He took to X to share his shock over the lopsided score that saw the Bruins dominate from start to finish.

"Good Lord. I expected @GamecockWBB to lose — just thought @UCLAWBB would be entirely too big for them," he wrote.

Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks lost 79-51 to UCLA in front of thousands of fans in Phoenix, with Cori Close leading the Bruins to the title matchup.

The Gamecocks were coming off a 62-48 win over UConn, but the team that beat UConn in the semifinals is now 3-1 in the title game, and this UCLA dominated from start to finish. In the third half, they built a lead that kept extending, first to 25 points, then to a 31-point lead by the end of the quarter. When the game ended, UCLA had won the title, and the lead was the third-largest in a Division I women's championship final.

"But I certainly did not expect this kind of beatdown. 60-30 in the 3rd QT? D***! UCLA just seemed more composed, more ready for the moment, plus bigger and more physical. Damn impressive!" the veteran journalist added.

More importantly, this was the first championship for Cori Close in her 15th season as UCLA’s head coach, and it denied South Carolina its third title in five seasons.

“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” Close told ESPN after the game, fighting back tears. And now, with the dust settling on a stunning blowout, attention turns to the performances that powered UCLA to its historic title run.

UCLA Stars Shine as Bruins Win First NCAA Crown

Lauren Betts recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, Gianna Kneepkens scored 15, and Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice added 10 each, as all five starters scored in double figures.

Joining them was Gabriela Jaquez, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, finishing with a late three-pointer before being subbed out as the game was decided.

Lauren Betts also bounced back from breathing struggles in the first half to finish with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

“We’ve been prepping for this since September 25th. That was when our first practice was,” Jaquez said on ESPN after the game. “And for a long time, we set out for this. I’m just so, so proud. What a great way to end it.”

This could be the start of a new dynasty for the Bruins, while the Gamecocks will look to return for another attempt at the title next year.

Read more at She Got Game!

Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar