LOS ANGELES — The defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks had been on the winning end of dominant performances against ranked teams countless times over the past few years.
But on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, the tables finally turned.
Trailing by as many as 23, the No. 1 Gamecocks suffered their first loss since the 2023 Final Four, ending a program-record 43-game winning streak with a 77-62 loss to No. 5 UCLA in front of a crowd of 13,659 people. .
It was the biggest loss by an AP No. 1 team since January 2020, the Gamecocks' biggest loss since the 2019 Sweet 16 and their first road loss since December 2021.
“It doesn't feel good when you're on the receiving end. But you also know you got beat by a great team, executing on both ends,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “That was beautiful UCLA basketball, beautiful on both sides.
“I thought our children were fighting. But today we ran into a circular saw.”
South Carolina, which finished undefeated last season after winning the program's third championship in seven years, had been tested earlier this season by unranked Michigan in its first game, winning by six, and then by then-No. 9 NC State, prevailing by 14.
But on Sunday, UCLA dominated on both ends, its defense “relentless,” as Staley put it, holding the Gamecocks to just 62 points on 36.4% shooting from the field. The Bruins quickly turned a nine-point second-quarter lead into a 21-point halftime lead, with South Carolina managing just 22 points on 26.5% shooting at the half. It was the Gamecocks' first double-digit halftime deficit since December 2021 and first 20-point halftime deficit since March 2019.
Staley said she thought her team did a solid job limiting Bruins center Lauren Betts (11 points) but that “everyone else killed us.” Four other UCLA players reached double figures, led by Londynn Jones' 15 (5 of 5 on 3-pointers) off the bench.
Te-Hina Paopao and Tessa Johnson did all they could with a combined 32 points and six 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough to overcome the rest of the team's offensive deficiencies. The Bruins held the Gamecocks to just 18 points in the paint and one fast break point. South Carolina also committed the same number of turnovers as assists (13) and was outrebounded 41-34.
“We are in transition from having a large dominant group [2024 WNBA lottery pick Kamilla Cardoso] to not have a dominant big and figure out how we can incorporate our bigs scoring the basketball a little bit,” Staley said. “Then we'll figure it out. We have to be comfortable with that, our elders have to be comfortable doing it a little differently.
“This is our second loss in two years. So no, it doesn't feel good, but yeah, we have to figure things out a little bit.”
UCLA was no slouch as the preseason No. 5 team in the country. But dominating the 2024 champions from wire to wire and leading much of the game by more than 20 points produced one of the most impressive performances of this young season.
“There was never a doubt and we prepared as we expected to win,” coach Cori Close said.
The Bruins also proved to be one of the deepest teams in the country, producing 34 bench points and Close commented that they essentially have eight starters.
Although Betts had a quiet scoring game, he made his presence felt in every other facet with a game-high 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots. Freshman Elina Aarnisalo also had a big afternoon with 13 points and four assists.
With program legends from Ann Meyers Drysdale to Natalie Williams and Jordin Canada in the house, the win marked UCLA's first win over an AP No. 1 team in program history after going 0-20 in such matchups.
“Work ethic and selflessness,” Close said of what makes his team special. “Everyone had a moment. We are really versatile and we have a lot of weapons. But they wouldn't do much, we wouldn't have this, if we didn't have altruism and an elite work ethic… I've never had a team that works harder than this team.” .
The performance gives UCLA a case for the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll when it is revealed Monday afternoon.
“I don't want to be boring, but I don't really care who ranked what at what time,” Close said. “I just want us to learn the lessons that this game taught us and I want us to fall more in love with the process of what it takes to be great.”
The Bruins, coming off a Sweet 16 loss in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, hope this is the breakthrough season that earns them their first NCAA Final Four appearance. The program previously played in the Elite Eight twice and won an AIAW championship in 1978.
“It's November 24th,” Close said. “Am I proud of our team? Yes. But this is just the beginning and we can't get tired of doing things well.”
Betts added of the team's mentality going forward: “Just keep getting better every day. Head down, take every day, stay present… We know what we want to do at the end of the season. We want to win a national championship. Take every practice as preparation and maintaining those same habits every day so we can get there.”
