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Michael Voepel, ESPN.comNov 24, 2024, 08:15 PM ET
- Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
One weekend in Los Angeles. Four of the best women’s college basketball teams in the country. Two upsets. And the longest winning streak in Division I snapped.
No. 6 Notre Dame beat third-ranked USC 74-61 on Saturday at the Galen Center.
Across town Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, No. 5 UCLA beat No. 1 South Carolina, ending the defending national champions’ run of 43 consecutive victories. The Gamecocks hadn’t lost since March 31, 2023, to Iowa in the national semifinals.
UCLA (5-0) — which entered Sunday’s game 0-20 against teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll — dominated the first half and led the Gamecocks (5-1) by 21 points at the break. The teams were more even in the second half, but South Carolina couldn’t erase the Bruins’ comfortable lead.
It marked the Gamecocks’ biggest loss since falling by 25 to eventual national champion Baylor in the 2019 Sweet 16. It also snapped South Carolina’s 33-game road winning streak, which dated to December 2021.
What did the Bruins do best to get their big win, what went wrong for the Gamecocks and who will be the new No. 1 team in Monday’s Associated Press poll?
How did UCLA knock off the defending champs?
There really wasn’t any aspect of Sunday’s game that UCLA didn’t do better than South Carolina. The Bruins were strong on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 41-34. And they shut down the Gamecocks’ inside offense. Starting forwards Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin were a combined 3-of-11 from the field for six points. Forwards Ashlyn Watkins and Joyce Edwards, who came off the bench, were 6-of-16 for 14 points.
None of the South Carolina starters went to the free throw line; the Gamecocks were 6-of-8 from the stripe, all by reserves. So give the UCLA defense a lot of credit. Center Lauren Betts had four blocks and altered other Gamecock shot attempts.
Offensively, five of the eight Bruins who scored were in double figures, led by guard Londynn Jones with 15 points. She made all five of her 3-point attempts.
NO. 5 UCLA BEATS NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA TO WIN ITS FIRST GAME AGAINST AN AP NO. 1 TEAM IN PROGRAM HISTORY 👏 pic.twitter.com/zID7pZH3Y2
— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2024
What statement did the Bruins make with the upset?
Betts said in her television interview after the game that no one should be “sleeping” on UCLA, which is comical. No one has been dozing on either of the L.A. schools, who combined have been an enormous focus of attention this season in women’s basketball. Many prognosticators have picked both UCLA and USC to make the Final Four.
But it’s one thing to be faring well in polls and predictions, and another thing to flat-out get the job done on national TV against the defending champions. That’s what UCLA did Sunday. The Bruins showed poise, depth, chemistry, experience and toughness. Coach Cori Close pointed out that it’s very early and that the Gamecocks still have been the standard-bearers in the sport the past several seasons. UCLA needed to make a statement this strong against this type of program.
What went wrong for South Carolina?
The Gamecocks can’t be sure game to game yet where their offense is coming from. That uncertainty doesn’t matter as much when they are playing overmatched foes. It was a big liability against a team like UCLA.
South Carolina’s two leading scorers from last season were then-senior center Kamilla Cardoso, who is now with the Chicago Sky, and then-freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, who entered this game averaging 12.8 points. But Sunday, Fulwiley played just three minutes and didn’t score.
Kitts entered Sunday averaging a team-high 14.0 points. She was off her game — Betts and the other Bruin defenders get a lot of credit for that — and played just 11 minutes, going 1-of-7 from the field. Guard Te-Hina Paopao, who had 18 points and was 4-of-4 from 3-point range, was the only Gamecock starter who produced exactly what was expected of her. Sophomore guard Tessa Johnson stepped up off the bench with 14 points, but no other South Carolina player scored in double figures.
Can the Gamecocks still repeat?
Yes, South Carolina can win another title in 2025. November losses are instructional, and the Gamecocks nearly have had two. They had to scramble to escape being upset by Michigan on opening day in Las Vegas on Nov. 4. The Gamecocks won 68-62 then in a game that showed some of their vulnerabilities.
No one should be very surprised by Sunday’s loss. UCLA is a very good team, and South Carolina is still figuring itself out. The Gamecocks were able to overcome losing Aliyah Boston after the 2022-23 season because Cardoso was ready to step in as the elite post threat last season. The Gamecocks still have a load of talent in 2024-25, but their so-called weak spot is on the interior.
Watkins’ late start to the season after her suspension was lifted is another contributing factor, along with the team missing Cardoso’s 6-foot-7 presence. Cardoso could help erase a lot of defensive mistakes, and was the go-to player when South Carolina absolutely needed to score. The Gamecocks don’t have anyone that reliable yet.
Which team will take over the top spot of Monday’s AP Top 25? After Notre Dame’s win at USC, what will the new top five look like?
Will the No. 2 UConn Huskies, whose best win was against the then-No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels on Nov. 15, bump up to the top spot? Or will UCLA, with such a decisive victory over South Carolina, jump up from No. 5?
I think the Bruins will be the new No. 1, followed by UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina and the Texas Longhorns. That would mean the Longhorns will drop a spot despite not having lost, but they haven’t played a ranked opponent yet. Texas will have its chance to climb Dec. 5, when the Longhorns play at Notre Dame (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).
