Heading into Sunday’s marquee matchup between the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks and the No. 5 UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, the host team had something to prove.
South Carolina was riding a 43-game win streak heading into this contest. UCLA was a career 0-20 versus teams ranked No. 1 in the country. Dawn Staley is considered the best coach not named Geno Auriemma in the sport, the the Gamecocks are loaded with talent across the board.
Having recently lost to South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament two years ago, UCLA and head coach Cori Close had something to prove. And boy, did they.
Blitzing the Gamecocks from the jump, UCLA led the entire way — resulting in a 77-62 victory. The score wasn’t even indicative of the dominant performance the Bruins gave. They were up by 20 points on Staley’s team for much of the contest.
UCLA bothered South Carolina with a swarming defense. The Bruins had a noticeable size advantage at nearly every position. This was most evident up front. Center Lauren Betts (6’7″) had a game-high four blocks. Angela Dugalic (6’4″), Janiah Barker (6’4″), and Timea Gardiner (6’3″) all were highly active in passing lanes.
Betts only had eight shot attempts. However, she made five of them en route to an 11-point, 14-rebound, 4-assist, 4-block effort. Kiki Rice and Elina Aarnisalo — UCLA’s starting backcourt — combined to go 11-of-22 from the floor for 24 points. Aarnisalo in particular was masterful in taking care of the basketball, and also setting up her teammates. The freshman out of Finland looks like the real deal.
UCLA’s depth was also on full display. Londynn Jones hit all five of her three-point attempts off the bench. Gabriela Jaquez (sister to former UCLA great Jaime Jaquez Jr.) chipped in with 11 points. Barker only shot 2-of-8 from the field. However, her size and athleticism were quite potent. She gobbled up seven rebounds and helped to keep South Carolina from getting second-chance opportunities.
UCLA went 10-for-21 from three-point range and finished the game shooting 47.5 percent from the floor. Conversely, it held South Carolina to 36.4 percent from the field.
This game said more about UCLA than it did South Carolina. The Bruins are for real — and there’s not another team nationally possessing this much depth or talent. It’s scary to think for opponents that Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker will soon be back to add further depth and shooting in the backcourt.
Without a doubt, the Bruins look like a true threat to win the 2024-25 Women’s NCAA National Title.
