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UConn Snaps Gamecocks 71-Game Home Winning Streak in Dominant Fashion

COLUMBIA, S.C. (CC News Sports) — By James Seidel

Dawn Staley walked into her Gamecocks postgame press conference Sunday evening, trailed by her dog, Champ.

“My emotional support dog,” Staley joked.

South Carolina’s head coach and her defending national champions could certainly use some support after the last of their significant streaks came to an end. The Gamecocks’ 71-game home winning streak at Colonial Life Arena was snapped in an 87-58 loss to No. 7 UConn.

The defeat follows two other streak-ending losses for the Gamecocks this season. Top-ranked UCLA handed South Carolina its first overall loss of the season with a 77-62 victory in November. Just last week, No. 3 Texas ended the Gamecocks’ 57-game regular-season SEC win streak with a 66-62 win.

“All of our streaks have been broken this year,” Staley said. “But it’s been a hell of a run.”

South Carolina’s home streak dated back to a 54-46 loss to NC State on Dec. 3, 2020. Over the years, the Gamecocks packed Colonial Life Arena game after game, with fans showing up in full force again Sunday as an 18,000-strong sellout crowd hoped to see the program’s record run continue.

Instead, it was Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong leading UConn to victory. Fudd drained six 3-pointers and finished with 28 points, while Strong, the nation’s top freshman prospect, tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Gamecocks Women's Basketball vs UConn — Gamecocks Women’s Basketball vs UConn Photo: USC

Fudd said the team was prepared for a battle. “We didn’t anticipate a blowout,” she said. “But we were ready for whatever they threw at us.”

Strong’s performance was particularly notable given her ties to South Carolina. Her mother, Allison Feaster, was a South Carolina native, former state high school scoring record-holder, and one-time teammate of Staley’s with the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting.

“Impressive,” Staley said of Strong. “We wanted her.”

South Carolina struggled from the start, trailing by double digits in the second quarter and entering halftime down 45-23. Te’Hina Paopao said the team made too many mistakes and lacked the necessary intensity.

“We’ve just got to learn and grow from this opportunity,” Paopao said. “We have to do a better job of giving effort and being mentally and physically tough.”

Staley echoed those sentiments, grading her team’s effort as an “F” if it were a college assignment.

“They had their way with us,” Staley said. “There’s no trying to find a silver lining. We got beat, and we got beat bad.”

Moving forward, Staley emphasized the need for the Gamecocks to return to the defensive and offensive habits that led them to a 22-1 start before dropping two of their last three games.

“I think we’re a little mentally and physically fatigued,” she said. “Just the gauntlet of the season. But there comes a time when you can regroup and get it back.”