The South Carolina Gamecocks, coached by Dawn Staley, have created another piece of women’s college basketball history, but one that they wouldn’t want to be a part of.
On Sunday, Staley and her Gamecocks lost 51-79 to coach Cori Close‘s UCLA Bruins in the national championship game on neutral grounds, the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Unfortunately for Staley and the Gamecocks, they missed out on their fourth national title in program history. Staley and her team have now been defeated in the national championship game two years in a row in blowout fashion.
In last year’s winner-take-all game, the South Carolina-based program lost to coach Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies by a staggering 23 points, 82-59. In an Instagram post by @cbssports, it was revealed that the Gamecocks are the first team in women’s or men’s basketball history to be defeated by more than 20 points in consecutive national title games.
“Not the kind of history you want to make,” @cbssports on Instagram captioned.
The Gamecocks will look to retool in the 2026 offseason in the hopes of winning the 2027 national title. They were the winners in 2017, 2022, and 2024. South Carolina finished the campaign with an overall record of 36-4 (15-1 SEC). The Bruins won their first-ever national title.
Dawn Staley Reacts To Getting Blown Out By The UCLA Bruins In The 2026 National Championship Game
In a video uploaded by ESPN on TikTok, Dawn Staley can be seen attending the post-game press conference, where she was asked for her thoughts on the blowout loss her squad received at the hands of the UCLA Bruins on Sunday.
Staley said her team will now work towards fixing the problem of getting blown out in national championship games.
“So, obviously, we got smacked today. We got to figure how we smack back, and put ourselves in a position where we are hoisting the trophy at the end of the day,” Staley asserted.
@espn Coach Dawn Staley after South Carolina’s loss to UCLA. #southcarolina #ucla #marchmadness #wbb #basketball ♬ original sound – ESPN
Read More: Dawn Staley’s Gesture Trolls Controversy With Geno Auriemma After Handshake With Cori Close
Also Read: Geno Auriemma Privately Apologized to Dawn Staley After Viral Dispute, UConn Legend Claims During NCAA Final
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