The University of California, Los Angeles is a school that is used to winning national championships. In fact, the school has won a total of 126 NCAA titles, which is second only to Stanford University.
In basketball, the Bruins have long been known for their championship tradition in men’s hoops by virtue of the 11 national championships they won in that sport. On Sunday, their women’s basketball squad joined the party by downing the University of South Carolina, 79-51, to capture the women’s national title.
The squad was honored at center court inside Crypto.com Arena during Tuesday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Bruins’ biggest star this season has been 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, who averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 blocks a game. She had 14 points, 11 boards and two blocks in the title-clinching game, and she will be heading to the WNBA this coming season. She’s expected to be a top-five pick in the upcoming draft, and she could possibly go as high as the No. 2 and even the No. 1 pick.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, the Bruins’ winning touch didn’t rub off on them, as they lost 123-87 while being without LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers honor UCLA women’s basketball national championship team
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
