LOS ANGELES — South Carolina didn’t just come into Sunday’s contest against UCLA as the defending national champions. The No. 1 Gamecocks entered the matchup versus the fifth-ranked Bruins with a whole host of streaks on the line.
The No. 1 Gamecocks had won 43 games in a row dating back to the 2023 Final Four against Iowa, and they owned 33 straight on the road (third-longest in Division I history). They had completed two straight undefeated regular seasons, hadn’t trailed by double digits at the half since Dec. 21, 2021, to Stanford, and hadn’t trailed by 20-plus at halftime since March 30, 2019, to Baylor.
All of those streaks came to a sudden end in Los Angeles, as the No. 5 Bruins took a page out of South Carolina’s playbook. The home team put together a defensive performance that would have made Dawn Staley proud en route to a stunning 77-62 victory. It is the first victory over a top-ranked team in 20 tries for UCLA in program history.
For the first time in program history, @UCLAWBB has beaten a No. 1 ranked team 🤩#B1GWBBall x #B1GStats pic.twitter.com/7aPQjP6aKg
— Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) November 24, 2024
The Bruins feature one of the few lineups in the country that isn’t overwhelmed by South Carolina’s size. UCLA started two big…
