This post was updated Nov. 30 at 10:35 p.m.
For three quarters, the Bruins held control over the reigning national champions.
Despite maintaining the lead for all but five minutes, they were unable to put the game out of reach as they entered the final period in a tie.
And with just under seven minutes to play, the blue and gold found itself knotted again at 52 with the top-ranked team in the country.
But four straight points from No. 1 South Carolina (7-0) broke the stalemate to help it pull away for the first time all afternoon, putting an end to an upset bid from No. 15 UCLA women’s basketball (7-1) with a 73-64 win. The Bruins were unable to claim their first win over a No.1-ranked team in program history, falling to 0-19 in such games.
Following a jumper from freshman guard Kiki Rice to open the contest, South Carolina ripped off a 9-2 run to assume an early lead halfway through the first period. But UCLA did not allow any points for the next three minutes, putting up eight unanswered points in the process.
Holding a 16-13 lead following one period, the blue and gold quickly lost its lead after forward Aliyah Boston notched her first points of the game. But once again, the top team in the nation went quiet.
The Bruins did not allow a field goal for a stretch of just under six minutes, forcing 11 straight misses from the Gamecocks. A layup from Boston put an end to a 10-0 stretch from UCLA, while senior guard Charisma Osborne and graduate student guard Gina Conti knocked down its first 3-pointers of the game.
Osborne sank two free throws and another shot from distance to extend UCLA’s lead to double digits for the first time, but South Carolina managed to trim its deficit to 31-27 heading into halftime.
The Bruins held the home team to a season-low 31.6% shooting from the field in the first half – including 1-of-9 from long-range – while the two squads corralled 23 rebounds each.
The Gamecocks continued to claw at the lead in the third quarter behind Boston and guard Kierra Fletcher, the latter of whom scored eight straight points for her team. Rice and Osborne led the charge for the Bruins, combining for 10 points in the period.
With under two minutes remaining in the frame, South Carolina took its first lead since early in the second quarter. Redshirt sophomore forward Emily Bessoir’s second 3 of the afternoon was answered by center Kamilla Cardoso, and the two teams finished the third period knotted at 47.
Three free throws from UCLA gave it a three-point lead, but the Gamecocks refused to go down. A midrange jumper from guard Zia Cooke broke a 52-52 tie with just under six minutes to play, as the Bruins lost control of the lead following an empty possession.
South Carolina finished the game on a 21-12 run despite late efforts from Osborne to regain the lead. The Gamecocks knocked down 14-of-18 shots from the charity stripe in the final quarter after a 4-of-11 showing to that point.
Osborne and Rice combined for 40 points in the game, while Bessoir added 10 points and eight rebounds. Though they lost the rebounding battle 48-42, the Bruins held the Gamecocks to 1-of-14 shooting from deep and a season low in points.
