Cori Close couldn’t contain her excitement after her UCLA squad upset Dawn Staley and South Carolina in Los Angeles just days after the Gamecocks won their 43rd straight game.Coming into Sunday’s matchup, South Carolina was riding high after defeating its rival Clemson to win a program record 43 straight games. However, the Bruins immediately set the tone, amassing a 21-point lead over the Gamecocks after one half of play, much to the consternation of Staley.Once it was all said and done, the Bruins handily defeated the Gamecocks, 77-62, in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. After the win, Close spoke to reporters about what the win meant to her, especially considering Staley’s impact on women’s basketball.South Carolina winning run comes to abrupt end after Dawn Staley warningHannah Hidalgo has two-word explanation for Notre Dame upsetting USC”This means a lot because Dawn Staley has set the tone of what women’s basketball excellence should be over the last several years,” Close told reporters, according to CBS Sports. “I just have so much respect for her, her staff, for the way they have a global view of the game… That being said, we expected to win.”We have a phrase in our program that ‘it begins before it begins.’ You gotta do the work to prepare, and it starts way before the tipoff happens. There was never a doubt. We prepared like we expected to win.”And Close’s squad certainly looked like they prepared for the win. While Te-Hina Paopao and Tessa Johnson scored in double figures with 18 and 14 points, respectively, the rest of the Gamecocks were held in check as the team as a whole shot 36.4 percent from the field.Dawn Staley and South Carolina’s 43-game win streak was snapped by Cori Close and UCLA ( Image: Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)For her part, Staley gave Close and the Bruins their props for how they performed against the No. 1 team in the country. Speaking to reporters after the loss, the 54-year-old admitted it was strange to experience what South Carolina had done to other teams during their win streak.This is what we usually do to teams, Staley shared, according to The State. “It doesnt feel good when youre on the receiving end of it. But you also know you got beat by a great team. That was beautiful basketball by UCLA, beautiful on both sides. It was fluid on both sides of the ball.What’s more, Staley believed that the Bruins played an unbelievable game all around, which ultimately led to UCLA’s improbable win. I didnt anticipate them shooting the way they shot the basketball, she continued.I thought our kids fought, but we ran into a buzzsaw today. … We told our team this is our second loss in two years. No it doesnt feel good, but yes we have to figure things out. And we will.”Staley added, per CBS Sports: “They played well. They were hitting on all cylinders. They actually executed our game plan to a tee. I thought we did a great job on [Lauren] Betts, but we got killed by everybody else. We’ll learn.”Despite UCLA handily defeating South Carolina, Close implored her team to understand that while it is OK to celebrate these types of wins, the team needs to remain focused. “It’s November 24,” she continued. “Am I proud of our team? Yes, but this is just the beginning. We just can’t get tired of doing things right.”
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