South Carolina women's basketball: #5 UCLA routs #1 South Carolina

All good things must come to an end, and after 43 games and 604 days, South Carolina finally lost a game. 

South Carolina got off to another brutal start, while UCLA sprinted out to a double-digit lead and cruised to a 77-62 signature win. 

South Carolina had managed to overcome slow starts in almost every game this season, compiling a 5-0 record. But UCLA was too good and too deep to let the Gamecocks off the mat again.

South Carolina missed its first nine shots and was just 1-12 when Dawn Staley called a timeout. At that point, South Carolina trailed 15-2 and was playing catch-up for the entire game.

“They played well,” Staley said. “They were hitting on all cylinders. They executed our game plan to a T.”

Tessa Johnson provided a spark off the bench to try to get the Gamecocks back in it. She scored 10 of the Gamecocks’ first 12 points. Johnson finished with 14 points.

“It kind of started like they were hitting everything and we weren’t hitting anything,” Johnson said. “That’s the kind of start that they had and they had great game.”

Johnson couldn’t do it all herself, and UCLA‘s shooters got hot late in the second quarter. The Bruins hit three three-pointers during a 17-5 run to end the half and blow the game open.

“This is our second loss in two years, so no it doesn’t feel good, but yes, we have to figure things out a little bit,” Staley said.

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Staley’s biggest concern entering the game was how South Carolina would defend UCLA’s 6-7 Lauren Betts, who entered the game averaging 21.5 points, and 11.5 rebounds. South Carolina rotated defenders and prevented Betts from dominating. She finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks.

“This was not her best night,” Cori Close said. “But it was her best mutual thinking night. She had what we call next play speed.”

Five Bruins scored in double figures, led by Londynn Jones’ 15. Jones hadn’t shot well to start the season, hitting just 24% from three. But she went 5-5 on Sunday. Elina Aarnisalo added 13, and Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez each added 11. 

“I thought we did a great job on Betts, but we got killed by everybody else,” Staley said.

Playing in front of about 100 family members, Te-Hina Paopao scored 18 points to lead South Carolina. Other than Johnson, no other Gamecock scored more than eight points.

“We’ll figure it out,” Staley said. “We’re in transition.”

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It wasn’t enough to overcome the shooting disparity. UCLA shot 47.5%, a number dragged down by a 6-16 fourth quarter, while South Carolina shot just 36.4%. UCLA also outrebounded South Carolina 41-34.

“We ran into a buzz saw today,” Staley said.

Notes:

The win was UCLA’s first win over a #1 team in program history. … The Gamecocks hadn’t lost a regular season game since losing to Missouri in 2021, 1,059 days ago. South Carolina still has an active 60-game home winning streak. … Sunday’s game was the return trip from UCLA’s 2021 visit to Columbia. … Looking for a spark, Staley used all of her players except Maryam Dauda. … Chloe Kitts had just two points on 1-7 shooting but grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. … Representatives from the Chicago Sky, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Dallas Wings, Washington Mystics, and Los Angeles Sparks were credentialed for the game. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore all black, topped by a black Gucci hoodie. … Announced attendance was 13,800. The game was officially a sellout. … South Carolina’s next game is against Iowa State in Fort Myers, FL. 

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