In a women's college basketball stunner, the defending-national champion—and No. 4-ranked—South Carolina Gamecocks' 71-game winning streak at home in the Colonial Life Arena came to an end after the program's 87-58 defeat at the hands of the No. 7-ranked UConn Huskies on Sunday.
The last time the Gamecocks, who have won two of the last three national championships and went undefeated during its title-winning 2023-24 season, lost at home was in December of 2020 against the NC State Wolfpack.
On the strength of its defense, sharpshooting from beyond the arc and an up-tempo offense, the Huskies raced out to a 45-23 lead, which they took into the locker room at halftime. The 25-point deficit represented the largest faced by the Gamecocks at home in over three years.
UConn senior Paige Bueckers shot just 3-for-12 from the field in an off-shooting day for the projected top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft—and the Huskies still rolled to victory, thanks to a game-high 28 points and six triples from fellow senior Azzi Fudd.
In addition to snapping South Carolina's home winning streak, the win represented UConn's first victory against a top-five team on the road since 2018.
Prior to tip-off of the game, South Carolina had earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee's unveiling of the top 16 seeds, a glimpse at what the official bracket could look like on Selection Sunday come March 16.