Dawn Staley’s South Carolina “needed” the loss vs UCLA, as per NCAAB analyst (Image Source: IMAGN)Dawn Staley’s South Carolina “needed” the loss vs UCLA, as per NCAAB analyst (Image Source: IMAGN)

An NCAA basketball analyst was impressed at how defending women’s college basketball champion South Carolina bounced back from a deflating loss to UCLA, breaking its 43-game winning streak extending from last season.

During the “Got Next with Meghan & Zora” podcast at NBC Sports on Monday, former WNBA-player-turned-college-basketball analyst Zora Stephenson admired how three-time national women’s basketball champion coach Dawn Staley organized her players following that shocking defeat to the Bruins.

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“Since they lost to UCLA, the average margin of victory for the Gamecocks is 33 points. That includes two 40-plus points victories (against Iowa State and Purdue). They’ve got two wins over Top 10 opponents,” Stephenson said. (2:47)

“It’s easy to say this after it happens but like sometimes, you need a loss to recalibrate … to remotivate and whatever South Carolina and Dawn Staley and the whole program has done since then. They’re not just beating people. They’re obliterating people, good good teams at that,” she said. (3:04)

Meghan McKeown echoed Stephenson’s statement as she pointed out that the Gamecocks did what they’re supposed to do as a top women’s basketball team in the nation.

“It’s how you respond, how you bounce back. South Carolina had done just that,” McKeown said. (3:25)

South Carolina (9-1) is amid a one-week break and will return on Sunday afternoon in a showdown against South Florida at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

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The “strength in numbers” principle has worked well for South Carolina this season. Five players have averaged at least 9.1 points per game and they are led by Te-Hina Paopao, who averages 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game

Other players scoring double figures for the Gamecocks are forward Chloe Kitts and MiLaysia Fulwiley. The 6-foot-2 Kitts has tallied 11.2 ppg and 8.8 rpg, while the 5-10 Fulwiley has averaged 10.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.0 spg for South Carolina.

No. 2 high school prospect Joyce Edwards and sophomore Tessa Johnson are close to averaging in double digits. Edwards averages 9.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 apg and 1.7 spg while, Johnson has tallied 9.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 1.1 apg.

South Carolina scored 80.6 ppg and allowed the opposition to pick up 55.4 points, or a difference of +25.2 points. The Gamecocks will have three more games left before they start their conference regular season games against Missouri on Jan. 2, 2025.