LOS ANGELES — The longest winning streak in college basketball has come to an end with No. 6 UCLA taking down defending champion and No. 1 South Carolina in convincing fashion, 77-62.
For the past two seasons, Dawn Staley’s team has taken care of any team that crossed its path with a program-record 43 consecutive wins, with only four games being single-digit victories. But on Sunday afternoon inside Pauley Pavilion, the Gamecocks didn’t look anything like the most dominant team in the game.
The Bruins were in control from start to finish, grabbing the first points of the game and holding onto a lead it never relinquished. UCLA started the contest on a 15-2 run and the lead was in double-digits for nearly the entire game. The Bruins led by 21 points at halftime and the closest South Carolina was able to get to in the second half was 15 points in the final minute. The win represents the program’s first against a No. 1-ranked team.
Staley said prior to Sunday’s contest she knew UCLA center Lauren Betts presented a big challenge. A likely first-round pick in the 2025 WNBA draft should she declare, Betts controlled the paint and made the Gamecocks earn anything they could get near the bucket. The Gamecocks shot a low 36.4% percentage (24-for-66) from the field while the Bruins made 47.5% (28-for-59) of their buckets.
South Carolina had no alternative but to shoot from the perimeter, and it was very successful with a 8-for-11 mark from 3-point line. The only problem was the Bruins were able to match it with 10 made 3-pointers on 21 attempts. Anytime South Carolina appeared to be establishing any sort of rhythm, the Bruins would come right down the court and halt it to send the crowd into a frenzy.
The result will be the latest to shake up the top 10 in women’s basketball, with the Bruins victory coming one day after No. 5 Notre Dame went into Los Angeles and took down No. 3 Southern California.
It’s still the first month of the regular season, but Cori Close’s team now has a signature victory, something the Bruins have been looking for quite some time and will be a big boost for a team that is hunting to get to its first Final Four since the NCAA sponsored the game. Sunday also marked the first time South Carolina had lost a November game since 2019.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA dominates South Carolina to end Gamecock’s 43-game win streak
