All good things must come to an end, and after 43 games and 604 days, South Carolina finally lost a game. 

South Carolina got off to another brutal start, while UCLA sprinted out to a double-digit lead and cruised to a 77-62 signature win. 

South Carolina had managed to overcome slow starts in almost every game this season, compiling a 5-0 record. But UCLA was too good and too deep to let the Gamecocks off the mat again.

South Carolina missed its first nine shots and was just 1-12 when Dawn Staley called a timeout. At that point, South Carolina trailed 15-2 and was playing catch-up for the entire game.

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Duke WBB game]

Tessa Johnson provided a spark off the bench, to try to get the Gamecocks back in it. She scored 10 of the Gamecocks’ first 14 points.

Johnson couldn’t do it all herself, and UCLA‘s shooters got hot late in the second quarter. The Bruins hit three three-pointers during a 17-5 run to end the half and blow the game open.

Staley’s biggest concern entering the game was how South Carolina would defend UCLA’s 6-7 Lauren Betts. South Carolina rotated defenders and prevented Betts from dominating. 

It wasn’t enough to overcome the shooting disparity.

This is a developing story. Stay with GamecockCentral for continuing coverage…

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