- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,689
- Reaction score
- 59
For the third year in a row, South Carolina women's basketball will play in the NCAA Tournament championship game.
This time around, the No. 1 seed Gamecocks (36-3) are being challenged by No. 1 seed UCLA (36-1). The two sides will square off at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and UCLA coach Cori Close are fairly familiar with each other. Their teams have played each other five times during their tenures at their respective schools.
Dawn Staley is 4-1 against UCLA as the Gamecocks' coach. Cori Close was the Bruins' coach in each of those matchups.
The first time Staley coached against Close was in November 2015. The No. 2-ranked Gamecocks were pushed to the brink by UCLA on the road, but came out on top, winning 68-65.
The following season, they played each other in December 2016 in South Carolina. This time, both sides were ranked. South Carolina was No. 6, and UCLA was No. 9. The result was still the same, with South Carolina winning 66-57.
Although South Carolina won, it only scored six points in the first quarter, setting a program-low scoring record for points in a first quarter.
UCLA's Monique Billings finished the game with 22 rebounds, the fourth-most by a Gamecock opponent. It's also the fourth-most rebounds recorded by any player in Colonial Life Arena. The mark is tied for fifth in UCLA program history.
In the 2022-23 season, South Carolina played against UCLA twice and won both games. In November 2022, No. 1 South Carolina won 73-64 over No. 15 UCLA. The teams played again in March in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 1 seed Gamecocks dominated the No. 4 seed Bruins 59-43.
The last time South Carolina and UCLA took the court together was Nov. 24, 2024. Close's Bruins beat Staley's Gamecocks for the first time. No. 5 UCLA knocked off No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 in Los Angeles.
South Carolina had only played UCLA once before Staley took over the program in 2008. The first-ever meeting between the Gamecocks and the Bruins was in January 1981.
The No. 10 ranked Gamecocks took down the Bruins 86-81. However, the result was later reversed due to South Carolina player Frani Washington being ruled academically ineligible by the AIAW.
Although the win was overturned, the stats from the game still count in South Carolina's record books. Sheila Foster grabbed 22 rebounds and is tied for sixth in program history for most single-game rebounds.
The 57 points the Gamecocks scored in the second half are also the fourth-most in program history for the back half of a game.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley vs Cori Close records for South Carolina vs UCLA
Continue reading...
This time around, the No. 1 seed Gamecocks (36-3) are being challenged by No. 1 seed UCLA (36-1). The two sides will square off at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and UCLA coach Cori Close are fairly familiar with each other. Their teams have played each other five times during their tenures at their respective schools.
What is Dawn Staley's record vs UCLA, Cori Close?
Dawn Staley is 4-1 against UCLA as the Gamecocks' coach. Cori Close was the Bruins' coach in each of those matchups.
The first time Staley coached against Close was in November 2015. The No. 2-ranked Gamecocks were pushed to the brink by UCLA on the road, but came out on top, winning 68-65.
The following season, they played each other in December 2016 in South Carolina. This time, both sides were ranked. South Carolina was No. 6, and UCLA was No. 9. The result was still the same, with South Carolina winning 66-57.
Although South Carolina won, it only scored six points in the first quarter, setting a program-low scoring record for points in a first quarter.
UCLA's Monique Billings finished the game with 22 rebounds, the fourth-most by a Gamecock opponent. It's also the fourth-most rebounds recorded by any player in Colonial Life Arena. The mark is tied for fifth in UCLA program history.
In the 2022-23 season, South Carolina played against UCLA twice and won both games. In November 2022, No. 1 South Carolina won 73-64 over No. 15 UCLA. The teams played again in March in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 1 seed Gamecocks dominated the No. 4 seed Bruins 59-43.
The last time South Carolina and UCLA took the court together was Nov. 24, 2024. Close's Bruins beat Staley's Gamecocks for the first time. No. 5 UCLA knocked off No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 in Los Angeles.
South Carolina history vs UCLA before Dawn Staley, Cori Close
South Carolina had only played UCLA once before Staley took over the program in 2008. The first-ever meeting between the Gamecocks and the Bruins was in January 1981.
The No. 10 ranked Gamecocks took down the Bruins 86-81. However, the result was later reversed due to South Carolina player Frani Washington being ruled academically ineligible by the AIAW.
Although the win was overturned, the stats from the game still count in South Carolina's record books. Sheila Foster grabbed 22 rebounds and is tied for sixth in program history for most single-game rebounds.
The 57 points the Gamecocks scored in the second half are also the fourth-most in program history for the back half of a game.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley vs Cori Close records for South Carolina vs UCLA
Continue reading...
