A Season for the Ages
The UCLA Bruins concluded the 2025‑26 women’s basketball campaign with a staggering 37‑1 record, capping the year by hoisting the national championship trophy after an unbeaten run through the Big Ten.
Coach Cori Close’s squad turned the conference schedule into a showcase of precision, posting an 18‑0 mark that underscored their dominance and set the tone for a postseason that would see them navigate the nation’s toughest brackets.
Statistical indicators painted a picture of a team that was as potent offensively as it was relentless defensively. UCLA posted a +27.4 scoring margin, ranked fifth nationally, while shooting 50.9% from the field — second best in the country — and limiting opponents to just 56.4 points per game.
Key Contributors and Momentum Shifts
The offensive engine was driven by a trio of standout performers. Lauren Betts paced the team with a 0.616 points‑per‑minute average, while Kiki Rice’s efficiency climbed from 0.447 to 0.485 points per minute over the course of the season. Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic also posted notable improvements, each moving up the per‑minute scoring chart.
Freshman Sienna Betts emerged as a promising piece of the future, delivering efficient minutes that hinted at a bright pipeline for the program. Their collective growth was reflected in the team’s ability to maintain a high‑octane offense even as defensive intensity fluctuated in the tournament.
In the Final Four, UCLA avenged their lone regular‑season loss by defeating Texas, then rolled past South Carolina by 28 points in the championship game, sealing a victory that cemented their status as the nation’s top‑ranked team in the AP Poll.
The Bruins finished the year as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll and held the top spot in the NET rankings, while their RPI also sat at No. 1, underscoring the comprehensive nature of their dominance across metrics.