Dawn Staley (left) and Caitlin Clark (center and right) [Images via IG/@staley05, @caitlinclark22]

Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks just suffered a 77-62 defeat to the UCLA Bruins on Sunday, which ended their 43-game win streak. This win streak started after the defeat to the Iowa Hawkeyes in March 2023.

It took a 41-point masterclass from Caitlin Clark to hand Dawn Staley her last defeat before today. Now Lauren Betts and her team have finally given Dawn Staley a taste of defeat after ages.

What happened the last time Dawn Staley and South Carolina suffered a loss?

On March 31, 2023, the Iowa Hawkeyes faced the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four. While the game was held in the American Airlines Center, the Gamecocks were given home-team privileges.

Before facing LSU in the finals, Dawn Staley’s stacked team was the last challenge for Caitlin Clark’s Iowa.

Staley had two future top picks in the WNBA, Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso both on the team at the time. Aliyah Boston subsequently became the #1 pick in the 2023 WNBA draft and Kamilla Cardoso was drafted #3 in 2024.

While Aliyah and Caitlin are now the closest of friends and teammates in Indiana, Aliyah struggled against Iowa in college. In the Final Four matchup, she only had eight points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Kamilla finished the game with 14 points and 14 rebounds. However, Zia Cooke (who now plays for the LA Sparks) led all scorers for USC with 24 points.

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Nonetheless, this team effort was not enough to stop Caitlin Clark from dominating the game. She had 41 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds to lead the Hawkeyes to victory.

However, while Dawn Staley speaks very highly of Clark, she arguably got the last laugh in this matchup as well.

The Iowa Hawkeyes went to the NCAA Tournament final in 2023 and lost to Angel Reese’s LSU. In the following year (2024), South Carolina faced Iowa in the final and defeated Iowa. That ended all hope of Caitlin Clark’s hopes for an NCAA championship in her illustrious college career.

What happened against UCLA Bruins? How did South Carolina lose?

Following the USC Trojans’ loss to Notre Dame, Gamecocks vs Bruins became the most anticipated game of the weekend. Lauren Betts, who is arguably the Bruins’ best player, dominated the game on all levels.

She ended the game with 11 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and four blocks while shooting 62.5% (5-of-8) from the field.

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However, this Bruins win cannot just be credited to Lauren. Londynn Jones was the surprising X-factor for the Bruins, who shot 5 of 5 from 3 and led all their scorers with 15 points. In total, five UCLA players were in double figures. UCLA outhustled the SC Gamecocks for this victory as a team, not just led by an individual but together as a unit.