Westwood, CA – The longest winning streak in college basketball history has been broken, as
No. 6 UCLA defeated defending champion No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 in dominant fashion.
For the past two seasons, Dawn Staley’s team had been unstoppable, setting a program record
with 43 consecutive wins, only four of which were decided by single digits. However, on Sunday
afternoon at Pauley Pavilion, the Gamecocks didn’t resemble the most dominant team in the
game.
“This game is about our program and where we’re going,” said UCLA head coach Cori Close
during the postgame interview. “This means a lot, because Dawn Staley has set the tone of
what women’s basketball excellence should be over the last several years. And I just have so
much respect for her, for her staff, for the way they have a global view of the game. So this
obviously means a lot because of the respect we have. That being said, we expected to win.”
The Bruins’ victory marks their first-ever win against a No. 1-ranked team and is South
Carolina’s first November loss since 2019. The 15-point defeat is also the Gamecocks’ largest
margin of loss since the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The final score was only that close because
South Carolina made a late push in the final minutes, when the outcome had already been
decided.
Before Sunday’s game, Staley acknowledged that UCLA center Lauren Betts would be a major
challenge. A likely first-round pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Betts didn’t post huge scoring
numbers, finishing with just 11 points. However, she dominated the paint, grabbing a game-high
14 rebounds, blocking four shots, and making the Gamecocks work hard for every point they
scored near the basket.
Tessa Johnson gave the Gamecocks a boost off the bench, scoring 10 of their first 12 points as
they tried to rally early in the game. Her early boost off the bench wasn’t enough to She finished
the afternoon with 14 points.
“We did a good job on Betts, but got killed by everyone else,” Staley said.
Five Bruins scored in double figures, led by Londynn Jones with 15. Despite shooting just 24%
from three to start the season, Jones went 5-for-5 on Sunday. Elina Aarnisalo added 13, and
Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez each chipped in 11.
The Bruins are back in action on Friday, November 29th against UT Martin.
