krikya18.com team of the week UCLA signaled its arrival as one of the top women's basketball teams in the country, scoring an historic 77-62 home win over No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday to move to the top spot in the latest Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll.
The win for UCLA over South Carolina marked the first victory over a No. 1 ranked team in program history. UCLA (5-0) dominated from start to finish, with the Bruins' suffocating defense preventing the Gamecocks from making any sustained scoring runs, leading by as many as 23 points in the game. The No. 1 Gamecocks suffered their first loss since the 2023 Women’s Final Four, ending a program-record 43-game winning streak.
RANKINGS: UCLA takes over top spot in Autumn Johnson's Power 10 rankings | Latest AP poll
Five Bruins finished in double figures against the Gamecocks, led by junior guard Londynn Jones who scored 15 points on 5-of-5 from long distance and added three steals. Freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo added 13 points with four assists and three rebounds. Junior guard Gabriela Jaquez scored 11 points off the bench. Junior center Lauren Betts picked up her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 14 rebounds. In her first start of the season, junior guard Kiki Rice scored 11 points along with three assists, a block and a steal, while junior forward Janiah Barker finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Through five games this season, Betts (19.4 points per game, 12.2 rebounds per game) leads a group of four players averaging double figures in scoring for the Bruins. She has been backed in points per game by Aarnisalo (12.6), Timea Gardiner (11.8) and Barker (10.6). UCLA has wins this season over Louisville, Colgate, Pepperdine, Arkansas and South Carolina, limiting opponents to 33.1 percent shooting from the floor and 58.0 points per game, while averaging 83.2 points per game.
UCLA will next travel to Hawai'i for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown over the Thanksgiving break. UCLA's first game of the event comes against UT Martin on Nov. 29. The Bruins are slated to face Fresno State (Nov. 30) and event host Hawai'i (Dec. 1) while on the islands.
