South Carolina’s program win streak was abruptly put to an end by UCLA, just weeks after Dawn Staley made her feelings clear on the Gamecocks having a target on their backs.
In South Carolina’s 77-62 loss to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins seemingly frustrated the Gamecocks’ offense at every turn, with the visitors struggling to get anything going. Because of the difficulty of shots, South Carolina found itself down 43-22 at halftime, showing just how much UCLA had clamped down the reigning national champions.
The second half was no different, with Cori Close’s squad continuing to put the pressure on Staley’s undefeated team. In the end, the Bruins’ game plan worked, snapping the Gamecocks’ win streak at 43 straight, just days after South Carolina’s 77-45 win over its rival Clemson.
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Te-Hina Paopao led the way for the Gamecocks with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field including a perfect 4 of 4 from 3-point land. Tessa Johnson joined Paopao as the only South Carolina players to score in double figures, pouring in 14 points off the bench.
As a whole, the Gamecocks shot 36.4 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the Bruins had five players score in double figures, led by Londynn Jones’ 15 points off the bench. Of note, UCLA’s win over South Carolina is the first time the university has defeated a No. 1-ranked team in program history.
South Carolina’s loss to UCLA came days after Staley reiterated the importance of recognizing milestones, especially of this magnitude as it shows a buy-in from every member of the team. “It’s pretty special,” Staley said after the Gamecock’s win over the Tigers, per ESPN.
UCLA battled South Carolina tight throughout, with the Bruins stifling the Gamecocks at every bend (
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It means our players make a commitment to the team, they make a commitment to us (coaches), they make a commitment to each other and when you do it that way, you have this type of historical moment that you appreciate.” Staley also made it a point to put these accomplishments into context during a long basketball season.
“We’re in the middle of the season and we go on the road and play one of the biggest games of our season in a few days,” the legendary head coach continued. “Twenty-four hour rule. We’ll enjoy it, then we’ve got to move on.”
In all, South Carolina’s loss proved Staley was right in stating that the Gamecocks were going to face the best of every team this season. After South Carolina escaped with a win against Michigan in Las Vegas, Staley appreciated seeing the Wolverines putting their best foot forward against them.
“It’s a really young season, and we’re going to get everybody’s best all the time – we’re fortunate to do it,” she said at the time. “I welcome everybody’s best because, if you’re the target, you’ve had some success. And we’re not going to shy away from, obviously, having that target on our back.”
She continued: “I like that we’ve been challenged. I like the fact that we’ve been exposed in certain areas because, when you’re teaching a team like this, and we play against our Highlighters, it’s not just because we’re playing against guys – we were exposed against young women who were determined to play, and they made an impact like as a collective unit.”
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