UCLA
2-1
South Carolina
4-0
UCLA Edged by No. 2 South Carolina
November 23, 2015 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiffany Mitchell scored 17 points, including six in a deciding final run, and No. 2 South Carolina struggled mightily before pulling away late to beat UCLA 68-65 on Sunday.
Tina Roy also had 17 points for South Carolina (4-0), and Alaina Coates had 12 points and 12 rebounds even though the Bruins (2-1) effectively limited South Carolina's size advantage with their 2-3 zone.
Against a defense that repeatedly denied the entry pass, the Gamecocks committed 21 turnovers. They struggled to come up with an alternative to their inside game despite a height advantage that enabled them to out-rebound the Bruins 45-31.
Jordin Canada scored 21 points and Nirra Fields added 17, but UCLA lost its 19th straight game against a ranked opponent, dating to Nov. 24, 2013, when they beat No. 10 Oklahoma 82-76.
The Gamecocks broke a 58-58 tie with Wilson's lay-in off an alley-oop with 3:50 to play. After Mitchell and Fields exchanged baskets, Mitchell added a layup for a 64-62 lead.
The Gamecocks forced a turnover, and Coates scored on a layup off a breakaway feed from Mitchell with 58 seconds left, giving South Carolina a 66-60 lead.
South Carolina was called for a flagrant foul and Canada made two free throws with 34.8 seconds left, but Fields missed a 3-pointer off the ensuing inbound play.
After two free throws by Mitchell with 21 seconds left, UCLA failed to score until Kacy Swain banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Gamecocks battled UCLA's plan to deny inside baskets to the 6-foot-5 Wilson, 6-4 Coates and, off the bench, 6-4 White, and posted their second straight victory over an unranked opponent. They beat Clemson 67-41 at home on Thursday night. They opened the season with a pair of victories at home, including a season-opening 88-80 victory over sixth-ranked Ohio State, followed by a 92-44 win over North Carolina-Greensboro.
The Gamecocks opened the 2014-15 season with a school-record 22 consecutive victories en route to a 34-3 overall mark.
The Bruins set up the fourth-quarter showdown by scoring the final eight points of the third quarter to take a 48-45 lead with 10 minutes to play.
TIP-INS
South Carolina: Coach Dawn Staley is using her team's nonconference schedule to get players as much experience as possible. Nine players averaged at least 14.7 minutes per game over the first three 2015-16 contests, with four averaging double-digits in scoring. This game marked the third regular-season trip to the Pacific Time Zone during the Staley era. The Gamecocks played Stanford and UC Davis in 2010-11, and lost both games. They played Southern Cal and San Diego State in 2013-14, and won both games.
UCLA: The Bruins played South Carolina once before, on Jan. 5, 1981. While The Gamecocks won the game 86-81, they later forfeited the victory for using a player that was academically ineligible. The Bruins return four starters, including three who averaged double-figures in scoring, from their 19-18 team in 2014-15.
UP NEXT
UCLA: In the Bahamas against Louisiana Tech on Friday.
