The streak is over, but there are far bigger problems.

South Carolina women’s basketball lost for the first time since March 2023 and first time in regular season action since December 2021, and the game was never within reach. The No. 1 — until Monday’s new poll comes out — Gamecocks fell behind 15-2 off the opening tip at No. 5 UCLA and never grabbed a foothold in the game, losing 77-62 to see their 43-game winning streak snapped.

This had been coming for a while, though. The lengthy cold stretches on offense against Michigan, the sluggish starts in four of the first five games and the procession of missed layups and turnovers at Clemson were all warning shots for a possible performance like this. Those opponents were not quite talented enough to make South Carolina (5-1) pay for its shortcomings.

UCLA (5-0) is, and is also not the last opponent on the schedule who will be. The Bruins dominated defensively, forcing 13 turnovers and holding the Gamecocks to just 13 assists. And aside from Tessa Johnson, who scored 12 of South Carolina’s first 17 points and was the only player even keeping the Gamecocks remotely in shouting distance for most of the first half, nobody could find a shot. South Carolina shot just 36.4 percent for the game and 26.5 percent in the first half as the Bruins built up a 21-point lead going into the break.

After years of dominating teams down low with Kamilla Cardoso and a cast of overwhelming post players, South Carolina got a little taste of its own medicine in this one. UCLA’s Lauren Betts dictated terms all afternoon with 11 points and 14 rebounds, and the depth advantage the Gamecocks have normally enjoyed tilted heavily towards the Bruins. Londynn Jones and Gabriela Jacquez both scored double-figures off the bench, and did significant damage as part of a 17-5 run going into halftime which essentially ended the game.

The sky is not falling for South Carolina with 24 games left in the regular season, but there are significant questions to answer. The offense still looked disjointed and lacked a clear identity without Cardoso’s presence. The lack of size and physicality inside was evident against a bigger opponent; South Carolina did not shoot a single free throw in the first 25 minutes of action. Starters Raven Johnson, Sania Feagin and Bree Hall all continued to struggle, going a combined 4-of-16 from the floor with five turnovers and four assists.

Even MiLaysia Fulwiley, the usual bench spark plug, only played three minutes after what appeared to be a benching following a disastrous first quarter stint.

In the micro, South Carolina will head to the Fort Myers Invitational for games against Iowa State and Purdue next week. More games, more chances to respond. But in the macro, the persisting questions of the first five games all boiled over the surface with the program’s heaviest loss since the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

So for the first time in three years — and in the college careers of nearly all of these players — South Carolina will have to play a game after a loss.

What now?

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