Yahoo Sports No. 5 UCLA stuns No. 1 South Carolina to reaffirm its national title aims
Celebrating among themselves was not going to be sufficient on a day like this.
Moments after the UCLA women’s basketball team made history, players sprinted to celebrate with students who surged onto the court from the sellout crowd.
Center Lauren Betts hugged former teammates Charisma Osborne and Camryn Brown. Gabriela Jaquez and others high-fived courtside fans, recognizing the meaning of it all.
There’s going to be a new No. 1 team.
It might just be the Bruins.
They made their case in compelling fashion Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion, fifth-ranked UCLA dominating top-ranked South Carolina with smothering defense on the way to a 77-62 victory that ended the defending national champions’ 43-game winning streak.
Just as striking as the ease with which the Bruins won the game was their nonchalance afterward.
“We expected to win,” UCLA coach Cori Close said, eliciting a nod from Betts as they sat next to each other to meet with reporters. “We have a phrase in our program that it begins before it begins, that you’ve got to do the work to prepare and it starts way before the tip. There just was never a doubt and prepared like we expected to win.”
Calling it a historic victory is no overstatement. The Bruins had never previously beaten a top-ranked team, having gone 0 for 20.
Close hailed it not as an arrival for her program but another step toward where it wants to go: a first NCAA championship.
“It’s Nov. 24,” Close said. “Am I proud of our team? Yes, but this is just the beginning, and we just can’t get tired of doing things right.”
A crowd that included UCLA basketball luminaries Ann Meyers-Drysdale, Marques Johnson, Noelle Quinn and Natalie Nakase watched the Bruins start the celebration midway through the fourth quarter after three consecutive offensive rebounds led to a three-pointer by Angela Dugalić that gave the Bruins a 68-46 lead.
The Gamecocks could not match the toughness of Betts (11 points and 14 rebounds), the long-range shooting of guard Londynn Jones (15 points on five-for-five three-point shooting) or the all-around play of guard Elina Aarnisalo (13 points, four assists and three rebounds). Each made a major impression in front of 10 WNBA scouts and executives representing six teams, including the Sparks.
Read more: Hernández: UCLA women prove beyond a doubt they are No. 1 in basketball
UCLA (5-0) never trailed and made it difficult for South Carolina to get decent shots in the early going. When Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts got the ball in the paint, Betts suddenly materialized to rip the ball away for a steal. South Carolina (5-1) didn’t score for more than five minutes into the game.
“I think the No. 1 thing we did was we forced them into difficult shots,” Close said. “I thought they were taking shots that they didn’t want to have to take on a pretty consistent basis.”
By the time Jones rose for a three-pointer to give the Bruins a 15-2 lead, the Gamecocks had missed 11 of 12 shots and committed four turnovers. A timeout by coach Dawn Staley did nothing to help.
“That was beautiful basketball by UCLA, beautiful on both sides,” said Staley, whose team shot 36.4% to the Bruins’ 47.5%. “We ran into a buzzsaw today.”
UCLA’s stifling defense continued into the second quarter when point guard Kiki Rice (11 points) anticipated a pass, grabbed the ball for a steal and went in for a layup in which she was fouled. In just her second game back from a preseason injury, Rice let out a triumphant roar as Jaquez draped an arm over her shoulder. It was all Bruins by the game’s midpoint as they held a 43-22 advantage.
The fun was just getting started for UCLA.
Was it enough to vault the Bruins into the No. 1 spot in the rankings?
“I don’t mean to be boring, but I really don’t care who’s ranked what and at what point,” Close said. “I just want us to learn the lessons that this game taught us and I want us to fall more in love with the process of what it takes to become great. That’s the only thing that matters to me.”
What’s important now, Close said, is what her team does with this momentous triumph. The Bruins showed they may not have a weakness if they can sustain their defensive intensity to go with Betts’ interior presence and smart playmaking.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment, I’m not downplaying it,” Close said, “but I’m also putting it in proper context, that is this what you came here to do, just this one? Have fun with it, but let it just inform your next choice.”
Betts then mentioned the importance of staying present and improving no matter the circumstances. As she usually does, Betts’ coach had something to add.
“Championships,” Close said, “come with championship habits.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
