PHOENIX — When South Carolina and UCLA tip off Sunday at Mortgage Matchup Center, they will be meeting for the seventh time in program history — and for the first time with a national championship on the line. The history between these programs is richer than most people realize, and the coaching rivalry between Dawn Staley and Cori Close carries storylines that add genuine depth to Sunday’s finale.
The Staley-Close Series: 4-1 in South Carolina’s Favor
Dawn Staley and Cori Close have faced each other five times since Close took over at UCLA in 2011-12. Staley holds a 4-1 edge — but that one Close victory came in their most recent meeting, which gives it outsized psychological relevance heading into Sunday.
November 2015 — South Carolina 68, UCLA 65
The first meeting between these coaches was on the road for South Carolina, and it nearly went the wrong way. The No. 2-ranked Gamecocks survived a genuine scare before escaping with a three-point win in Los Angeles. The margin suggested Close’s program was already capable of competing with the nation’s elite.
December 2016 — South Carolina 66, UCLA 57
A rematch in Columbia, with both programs ranked — South Carolina at No. 6, UCLA at No. 9. South Carolina won again, though the game produced some historically unusual footnotes. The Gamecocks scored only six points in the first quarter, setting a program-low scoring record for a single quarter. Despite that early-game collapse, they recovered and won by nine.
The individual performance that stands out from this game was UCLA’s Monique Billings, who finished with 22 rebounds — the fourth-most by any opponent in Gamecock history and tied for fifth in UCLA program history. A remarkable individual performance in a losing effort.
November 2022 — South Carolina 73, UCLA 64
No. 1 South Carolina handled No. 15 UCLA in the early season, a result that felt relatively straightforward given the seeding disparity. But Close’s program was building, and the margin was closer than the rankings suggested it should be.
March 2023 — South Carolina 59, UCLA 43 (NCAA Tournament Sweet 16)
The most consequential meeting before Sunday. No. 1 South Carolina dominated No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16, winning by 16 in a game that was not as close as the final score implied. The Gamecocks were the most dominant team in the country that season — they finished undefeated and won the national championship. UCLA could not solve them.
November 2024 — UCLA 77, South Carolina 62
Close’s program finally got one. No. 5 UCLA beat No. 1 South Carolina in Los Angeles, ending the Gamecocks’ 43-game winning streak — the longest in program history. The loss came early in the season after South Carolina had won the 2023-24 championship, and it served as an early signal that UCLA had closed the gap significantly. This is the result both programs remember most vividly heading into Sunday, and it is the primary source of South Carolina’s motivation to answer it on the largest stage possible.
Before Staley and Close: A Footnote With an Asterisk
The history between these programs actually predates the Staley era by nearly three decades. South Carolina and UCLA met only once before Staley took over in 2008 — in January 1981 — and the result of that game came with a complicated asterisk.
No. 10 South Carolina defeated UCLA 86-81, a victory that featured a historically significant individual performance: Sheila Foster grabbed 22 rebounds, placing her tied for sixth in program history for most single-game rebounds. The second half alone produced 57 points for the Gamecocks — the fourth-most in a single half in program history.
However, the win was later reversed by the AIAW after South Carolina player Frani Washington was ruled academically ineligible. The victory was expunged from the record books — but here is the nuance: the statistics from the game still count. Foster’s 22 rebounds remain in the program’s historical record. The points still appear in the second-half scoring leaders. Only the win itself was taken away.
It is one of the more unusual historical footnotes in the series — a game that officially did not happen, but whose statistics have never been erased.
What the History Tells Us About Sunday
The series record says South Carolina holds the advantage. The most recent result says UCLA has figured out how to beat them. The tournament history says South Carolina has been better when it matters most — three of the five meetings under Staley came with postseason implications or ranked-game significance, and South Carolina won all three convincingly.
Sunday is different from all of them. Neither program has met in a championship game before. The stakes are higher, the preparation longer, and the margin for error smaller than in any previous meeting.
Staley is 4-1 against Close. She is 3-0 in national championship games. She is chasing her fourth title.
Close has never won one. Her program has never been here before — at least not in this era, not in this moment.
The history points one direction. Sunday determines whether it holds.
