LOS ANGELES – Memories of the 2025 NCAA championships hung in the air of Pauley Pavilion on Sunday.
UCLA women’s basketball received their Final Four appearance rings in a ceremony before the game, giving them a chance to look back fondly on the season before, where they were the best team in the country for most of the season and only came up just short of the NCAA crown after falling to the eventual champion UConn Huskies.
Advertisement
“I actually, yesterday, had to apologize to the team for the fact of, I did not do a good job after the season [of] making sure they felt celebrated,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said. “It was really hard, obviously we were knee deep in the transfer portal and it was a crazy spring, and honestly I did not lead well enough in that. So, I was very excited today for them to at least get that opportunity for them to be celebrated.”
UCLA forward Angela Dugalic (32) looks for a pass during a NCAA basketball game between UCLA and Southern University on Sunday, November 23, 2025 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.
Jack Haslett — The Sporting Tribune
UCLA forward Angela Dugalic (32) looks for a pass during a NCAA basketball game between UCLA and Southern University on Sunday, November 23, 2025 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.
Advertisement
When the game was underway against Southern, it started out as a tight challenge between the two teams, who faced off against each other in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament. It didn’t stay that way for long though. Soon enough UCLA was off to the races and closed out the first quarter with a 22-9 lead.
Their dominance didn’t stop there. The second quarter was the crowing achievement of UCLA’s overwhelming play style as they held the Jaguars to zero points in the second. It was UCLA’s first shutout quarter Dec. 5 2021 against San Jose State.
Thinking of the 2024-25 Bruins, who were the talk of the country for most of the season, this season’s squad have seemingly improved on their championship-worth blueprint, and showed that in full force against Southern.
Graduate Angela Dugalic led the team in scoring with 20 points, and three other Bruins turned in double-digit scoring performances, including freshman Lena Bilic, who scored 14, including back-to-back three pointers that had Pauley Pavilion shaking.
UCLA women’s basketball celebrates a win over Southern University on Sunday, November 23, 2025 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.
Jack Haslett — The Sporting Tribune
Advertisement
UCLA women’s basketball celebrates a win over Southern University on Sunday, November 23, 2025 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.
“It was so amazing, I actually feel so lucky to have such big support from everyone,” Bilic said. “I do really feel really lucky to have amazing teammates.”
Senior Lauren Betts has continued to grow in new ways too and add to her already impressive game. Knowing that she’s going to face the hardest defense any team can throw at her each night, Betts has built up her mid-range shots to add yet another weapon to her game.
“Shooting shots like that honestly gives me a little bit of a break sometimes [from] posting up all the time and getting beat up on,” Betts said. “Any way that I can continue to get better, that’s I’m going to do. JC [James Clark] has done a really great job this season of working on different skills that haven’t usually done these past three years.”
Advertisement
Amidst the dominance was a major milestone for senior Gabriela Jaquez, who scored her 1000th career point during the blowout. Jaquez has experienced a meteoric rise this season and has emerged as not only one of the team’s best players, but a constant positive presence for the team.
“She’s increased her scoring, her shooting, all of the other things. But, none of that means as much to us as her warrior’s spirit and competitive nature,” Close said of Jaquez. “The toughness that she brings to us, tje desire to win, and she just has a level of pride about what it means to put on that jersey every day.”
