Job’s not finished, as UCLA looks to halt South Carolina dynasty in women’s NCAA title game

PHOENIX – For the first time in program history, UCLA’s women’s basketball team is within a single win of a national championship after beating Texas 51-44 in Friday’s national semifinal. But as one Los Angeles hoops legend so famously said nearly two decades ago, the job’s not finished. 

Not even close.

In a poetic twist of fate, the Bruins will have to beat the defining program and coach of the last decade to earn the sport’s ultimate prize. Dawn Staley and South Carolina advanced to a third consecutive national title game with a stunning upset over UConn in the first semifinal, although that masterclass of a performance was largely overshadowed by Geno Auriemma’s postgame antics. A win on Sunday would make Staley a four-time national champion, tying her with Kim Mulkey for the third most in NCAA women’s basketball history. 

“Dawn does such a great job,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “She’s a standard bearer in our sport. I’m thankful for what they have done not just for South Carolina, but for the game. But we also are an incredibly competitive, confident group.  I’m sure they are, as well. All you can ask for is an opportunity to play your best basketball for a national championship.”

Winning Ugly

Beating South Carolina will certainly be a tall order, especially for a team that won its semifinal game in one of the ugliest fashions imaginable. UCLA didn’t score a field goal in the final 3:08 of Friday’s game and was held to just six points in the second quarter, but made up for it by limiting Texas to just 28 points through three quarters. 

While there are certainly reasons to be skeptical of such a performance, it’s entirely likely that Sunday’s title game will be a rock fight of similar proportions, especially considering how effectively South Carolina’s defense stifled UConn’s high-powered offense. 

“Quite frankly, we didn’t play to our best offensively,” Close said. “I remember after the Iowa game, when we won the Big Ten championship, I told our team that you cannot fall in love with pretty offense and think that it’s going to be like this every game. I told them there’s going to be a game in the NCAA tournament that you’re going to have to just grind it out and do it with your defense. This was the game we needed that.”

Full Circle Matchup

For senior guard Gabriella Jaquez, Sunday’s national championship opportunity against South Carolina is a chance to write the perfect ending to a college career that saw her lose twice to the Gamecocks (once in the NCAA Tournament) before finally getting the better of them in a Nov. 2024 in Westwood upset that is widely considered UCLA’s national arrival statement. 

“It’s kind of full circle playing South Carolina in the national championship game,” Jaquez said. “I remember my freshman year going to South Carolina and playing them.  Tough matchup.  Just super excited to go up against them this time.  Obviously they played us at home.  We’ve matched up against them quite a lot.”

The message going into Sunday’s fateful matchup? It remains simple and familiar to all Angelenos.

“We keep saying the job’s not finished,” Jaquez said. “Still have one more game to win.”