Top-seeded UCLA routed fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina 79-51 at the Mortgage Matchup Center, using a suffocating defensive performance to capture the championship and cap a 37-1 season. The 28-point margin told the story of a Bruins team that simply refused to let the Gamecocks breathe.
South Carolina, finishing 36-4, managed just 51 points — a number that barely resembles the program's identity. UCLA dictated tempo, controlled the glass, and turned every South Carolina possession into a grinding, contested exercise. Whatever Dawn Stava's group tried, the Bruins had an answer already locked in.
For UCLA, this is the exclamation point on a historically dominant campaign. For South Carolina, the offseason begins with a humbling reminder that even the sport's standard-bearers can be overwhelmed when everything goes wrong on the biggest stage. The Bruins didn't just win a title — they sent a message that will echo into every recruiting living room this spring.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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