The UCLA women’s basketball team has upset No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 at Pauley Pavilion.
This victory ends a 43 game winning streak for the Gamecocks, who had previously not lost since the 2023 NCAA Final Four, when they fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Gamecocks went undefeated and won the National Championship during the 2023-24 season. Overall, South Carolina had won 85 of their last 86 games.
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This is UCLA women’s basketball’s first win against an AP No. 1 team in school history, and will cement the Bruins as true title contenders this season.
The UCLA-South Carolina matchup was one of two exciting early season games on the women’s college basketball schedule this weekend, along with USC-Notre Dame. No. 6 Notre Dame upset No. 3 USC on Saturday, and now No. 5 UCLA has gotten the win over the No. 1 team in the nation.
The highly anticipated matchup saw many fans waiting outside the doors of Pauley Pavilion before the game, and the Bruins did not disappoint in front of the home crowd.
This outcome has the chance at potentially propelling UCLA to the No. 1 seed in the nation. The Bruins will almost certainly rise in the next edition of the AP Top 25 poll, while South Carolina should drop down from their throne.
From the get-go, the Bruins outplayed the Gamecocks and held an early lead. They outscored South Carolina 20-10 in the first quarter, and increased that lead to 23-12 at the end of the half, the first time South Carolina trailed by 10 or more points after the first half since Dec. 2021, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
Via @ESPNStatsInfo: The last time South Carolina trailed by double-digits at halftime was Dec. 21, 2021 vs Stanford, 1,069 days ago
The last time they trailed by by 20+ at the half was March 30, 2019 vs Baylor, 2,066 days ago
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) November 24, 2024
The Bruins worked together in a true team effort for the victory. Four different players scored double digit points. Lauren Betts, the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, recorded a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Kiki Rice, the No. 2 recruit in that class, added 11 points, one rebound, and three assists. Londynn Jones, Janiah Barker, and Gabriela Jaquez combined for 28 points off of the bench.
“If you’ve been sleeping on UCLA, YOU NEED TO STOP RIGHT NOW,” Betts said after the game on the FS1 broadcast.
The breakout performer of the game was freshman Elina Aarnisalo, who contributed 13 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Aarnisalo is currently averaging 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game.
The Bruins have made the NCAA Sweet 16 over each of the last two seasons, but have not broken into the Elite Eight or Final Four over the last few years. If they can continue beating upper echelon opponents like South Carolina, this could become the season they truly break into the championship contention.
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