The No. 5 UCLA Bruins stunned No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday, dominating from start to finish in a 77-62 victory that snapped the Gamecocks’ 43-game win streak. The win marked UCLA’s first-ever triumph over an AP No. 1 team and showcased their depth and dominance on both ends of the floor.
The Bruins (5-0) stormed out to a 15-2 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, leading by as many as 24 points at halftime. South Carolina (5-1) couldn’t recover from a woeful 9-of-34 shooting performance in the first half, which included a 17-5 UCLA run fueled by three-pointers.
MUSTAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDD pic.twitter.com/8lcJpIYq76
— UCLA Women’s Basketball (@UCLAWBB) November 24, 2024
UCLA’s balanced attack was led by Londynn Jones, who scored 15 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Lauren Betts controlled the paint with 11 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, while Elina Aarnisalo chipped in 13 points and four assists.
Te-Hina Paopao scored a game-high 18 points for South Carolina, and Tessa Johnson added 14 off the bench. However, the Gamecocks struggled to generate offense, shooting just 36% from the field and committing 13 turnovers.
The loss ended a historic streak for South Carolina, which had won 85 of its last 86 games and hadn’t lost a regular-season contest since December 2021. The result solidified UCLA as a legitimate national title contender while raising questions about South Carolina’s consistency against elite opponents.
