The UCLA women’s basketball team toppled the reigning NCAA champion South Carolina Gamecocks 77-62. This is the second loss the Gamecocks have had in two years.
South Carolina was on a 43-game winning streak, ten wins more than the longest NBA winning streak. That streak belonged to the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers.
“We prepared like we expected to win,” said UCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori Close. “We have a phrase in our program that it begins before it begins, that you’ve got to do the work to prepare.”
Scoring accuracy was key for the Bruins, who shot 47.5 percent from the field. They found their shot late in the first quarter, ending the phase ahead 20-10. The Bruins ran away with the game in the second, shooting at 57.1 percent in field goals.
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A key part of their offense was junior guard Londynn Jones, who went 5-5 from three-point range. She ultimately scored 15 points.
“It takes a lot of preparation,” Jones said. “It’s something that I work on every morning and after practice.”
Close noted how assistant coach Tasha Brown also works with Jones on her shooting abilities.
“[Brown] meets her every morning and a bunch of our other support staff,” Close said. “[Jones] chosen to buy into that and [Brown] has led her really well in that.”
South Carolina senior guard Te-Hina Paopao led with 18 points and junior forward Chloe Kitts made seven rebounds. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley noted how her team did a good job defending junior center Lauren Betts.
“Our shot selection is something that we are dealing with on a daily basis,” Staley said. “I thought we had some really good contributions from people that don’t play a whole lot.”
The Gamecocks are transitioning out of having their dominant post player in center Kamilla Cardoso. The two-time NCAA champ is now with the Chicago Sky and competing in China.
At the final buzzer, junior center Lauren Betts ran to embrace her former teammates Charisma Osbourne and Camryn Brown. All three players helped the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen last year. Betts noted how the two alums helped her mentally persevere through the previous season.
“They’ve just always been really supportive of me throughout the season,” Betts said. “[Brown] texts me before every single game, so I thought that it was only right to go hug them.”
