UCLA celebrates women's basketball national championship
UCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori Close recalls taking the job in 2011. People told her that making Los Angeles care about women’s basketball was too difficult to do in a city with pro teams like the Lakers and Dodgers taking up the bulk of the attention.
Fifteen years later, Close and a Pauley Pavilion crowd had the last word Wednesday.
“Let me tell ya, L.A. cares about women’s basketball,” Close said, with the crowd roaring, as the program celebrated its first-ever NCAA national championship.
Take advantage of Bruin Report Online’s EPIC $1 for 4 months deal!!! Join the No. 1 independent source on UCLA sports and recruiting with our introductory offer!! Get unmatched insider Bruin coverage as BRO moves over to the industry-leading On3 network for just $1 for 4 months!! There is no promo code required for this offer, just HIT THIS LINK now, and you’ll be good to go!!
The ceremony included the attendance of Denise Curry, a member of the 1978 team that delivered the program its only other national title under the old AIAW governing body. Curry’s teammate and fellow UCLA Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale was among those who sent in recorded video messages, congratulating the team on its 79-51 win over South Carolina in Sunday’s national title game.
Two-time All-American center Lauren Betts and guard Gabriela Jaquez were among the seniors who addressed the crowd.
It would not be a true party, though, without Betts and Jaquez, along with guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, closing the ceremony by performing their now-viral dance routine that became the trio’s signature after big victories in the Big Ten and NCAA tournament throughout the past month.
Here’s how things looked in Pauley Pavilion, including the moment the coaching staff and entire team were introduced out of the tunnel: