“Dawn Staley got her a** kicked by UCLA”: College hoops fans rip apart MiLaysia Fulwiley’s South Carolina after loss vs Lauren Betts and Co.

College basketball fans criticized South Carolina, which absorbed its first loss of the season — and its first defeat since March 31, 2023. The Gamecocks succumbed to the UCLA Bruins 77-62 on Sunday night at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Fans slammed the Dawn Staley-coached squad, with one mocking the Gamecocks by calling them "chickens."

"You see chickens finally lost? Dawn Staley got her a** kicked by UCLA 😂😂😂😂," the fan said.

Another fan noted that the team's failure to acquire a replacement for 2024 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Kamilla Cardoso was too big to overcome.

"Without Kamilla it’s not easy at all. She covered so many sins. So many," the fan wrote on X.

Another criticized the South Carolina coach for not inserting 6-foot-6 Adhel Tac in the game while expressing concern about the team's lack of post presence this season.

"We don’t have a legitimate dominant post player. Why she has not played and developed 6-6 Adhel Tac. They have been struggling this year from the inside. Teams don’t fear our post. They have not replaced KAMILLA CARDOSO OR BOSTON. That was my concern before the season praying," the fan said.

Another fan treated the loss as a reality check and the result, pointing out UCLA’s dominance and claiming the scoreline could have been worse.

"Good reality check. We shot 36%, they shot almost 50% and had a bench player go 5/5 from 3, almost doubled us up on fts… they shoulda beat us by 30," he wrote.

Other fans raised concerns about the usage of freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley, who played just three minutes and failed to score.

"Is La hurt or something only 3 minutes played ??," the user said.

"She hasn’t really played bought in all season. She is too good to be so erratic with all those turnovers. I guess they had enough of it today," another fan added.

"No reason Milaysia gets no minutes. Its getting weird," a South Carolina fan chimed in.

A fan suggested that Raven Johnson should be dropped from the starting lineup.

"I hate to say this, but maybe Raven shouldn’t start anymore. She has been trash so far this season. Shooting 20%; missing wide open shots. In addition, she’s very hesitant; not running the offense w/ authority," she wrote.

South Carolina failed to recover from a 43-22 halftime deficit and saw their 43-game winning streak and a 33-game road winning streak end on Sunday. The Gamecocks were limited to 36.4% shooting and their defense allowed five players in double figures.

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UCLA exposes South Carolina's lack of offensive options

UCLA exposed South Carolina's offensive inability. Players not named Te-Hina Paopao and Tessa Johnson combined for just 30 points on 12-for-44 shooting. MiLaysia Fulwiley played only three minutes and failed to score a point while Chloe Kitts had two points on 1-for-7 shooting.

The Gamecocks were also outperformed on the boards, grabbing just 34 rebounds to UCLA’s 41. Their defense allowed the Bruins to get 47.7% of their shot attempts in the basket.

Londynn Jones exploded for 15 points on five 3-pointers while Elina Aarnisalo added 13. Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez contributed 11 each for UCLA with Betts picking up a double-double with 14 rebounds.

The Dawn Staley-coached squad will have a chance to bounce back on Thursday as it faces Iowa State in the Fort Myers Tip-off mini-tournament at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.