One of the biggest giants in all of sports took a tumble on Sunday, as the No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball team had its 43-game win streak snapped with a 77-62 upset loss to No. 5 UCLA.
The loss dropped the Gamecocks to 5-1 this season, while the Bruins remained undefeated at 5-0 and could rise up the Top 25 following Sunday’s monumental victory.
FOX College Hoops@CBBonFOX
UCLA TAKES DOWN NO. 1 💥<a href=”https://twitter.com/UCLAWBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@UCLAWBB</a> SNAPS SOUTH CAROLINA’S 43-GAME WINNING STREAK 🤯 <a href=”https://t.co/9wFegXLFoz”>pic.twitter.com/9wFegXLFoz</a>
The last time South Carolina lost was in the 2023 Final Four against an Iowa team led by Caitlin Clark. Per ESPN, this marks the Gamecocks’ first road loss since December 2021 and the Bruins’ first win over an AP No. 1 team in program history. UCLA was previously 0-20 in such games.
South Carolina was stifled by an aggressive and suffocating UCLA defense. The Gamecocks shot a minuscule 36.4 percent from the field and attempted just eight free throws, numbers that are foreign to a Dawn Staley-coached team. Te-Hina Paopao led the team with 18 points and Tessa Johnson added 14 points off the bench, but they were the only players on the team to score in double figures.
The Bruins had a more balanced attack with five players reaching double digits, led by Londynn Jones’ 15 points on five three-pointers off the bench. Elina Aarnisalo had 13 points and Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts added 11 points apiece with the latter pulling down 14 rebounds.
South Carolina will have to recover quickly, as it will face No. 8 Iowa State in another top-10 matchup on Thanksgiving Day. UCLA will get to enjoy the victory for a bit longer before returning to action on Friday against UT Martin.
