One game after setting their new win streak record with win No. 43, the Gamecocks made the cross-country trip to take on No. 5 UCLA in what was a marquee matchup, but only one team chose to show up. South Carolina suffered a 77-62 loss to the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion in front of a crowd of over 13,000 fans.
This loss is significant in more ways than one as it is not only the first loss of the season for the Gamecocks, it is also their first loss since the 2023 Final Four, ending their program record 43-game win streak. This is also the largest loss by an AP No. 1 team since January 2020, South Carolina's largest deficit since the 2019 Sweet 16, and their first road loss since December 2021.
South Carolina has always been the team delivering the punches in games, both against ranked and unranked opponents, but on Sunday, they took punch after punch after punch. The Gamecocks trailed by as many as 23 points at one point and even for a Dawn Staley team, that is a tough whole to climb out of.
This loss might have been the culmination of how the season has gone so far, as the Gamecocks skimmed by to get a three-point win over an unranked Michigan team to start the season. Games have also been a little too close for comfort in the first half, especially when they were down 17-12 to Clemson just last week, but wee able to pull it together to get the win.
Against teams like No. 5 UCLA and even No. 8 Iowa State, who the Gamecocks face later this week, the slow starts offensively and defensively are going to put them behind more than the games against unranked opponents.
It all started in the second quarter when the Gamecocks suddenly went from being down just nine points to being down 21 heading into the half. The Bruins defense suffocated South Carolina's offense as only two Gamecocks scored in double digits, and that was Te-Hina Paopao with 18 points and Tessa Johnson with 14 points. Chloe Kitts, who has been a consistent scorer for South Carolina this season, was held to just two points, going 1-for-7 from the floor.
The good news for South Carolina is that it is very early in the season, and now is the time to work through growing pains and figure out what works and what doesn't. The other good news is that, yes, a winning streak is great, but now that money is off their back, they can just get back to practice and move on to their next game because that is what matters most.
South Carolina will have a few extra days to prepare for their next matchup, which will take place in Fort Meyers on Thanksgiving as the Gamecocks take on No. 9 Iowa State.