PHOENIX ? UCLA won the first women's basketball national championship in school history on Sunday, beating South Carolina 79-51 to complete a season in which the Bruins lost only once.

In its championship game report, The Associated Press said Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points, Lauren Betts added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and UCLA pulled away with its defense after building an early lead.

Game details published by ESPN showed the Bruins led 36-23 at halftime and then widened the margin in the third quarter, holding South Carolina to one of its weakest offensive performances of the season.

The title capped a run that had gathered national momentum earlier in the week when AP reported that South Carolina reached the final by beating UConn, setting up a meeting between two No. 1 seeds.

For UCLA, the win turned a breakthrough Final Four season into the most significant championship result in the history of the program.