No. 1 South Carolina suffers upset against No. 8 N.C. State, 54-46

The top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks women suffered their first loss in over a year on Thursday night, falling to 54-46 the No. 8 N.C. State Wolfpack to end a 29-game winning streak.

Neither team ever really got in the groove offensively — as the score would indicate — but the Pack was able to keep applying pressure with its outside shooting, and the Gamecocks had an uncharacteristically sloppy night on the boards, letting way too many chances at grabbing or maintaining possession slip away. Perhaps most distressingly, South Carolina let itself get boxed into hero ball, with too many players trying to operate individually — which only contributed to the offensive breakdowns.

Zia Cooke and Laeticia Amihere each had 11 points for the Gamecocks, while Aaliyah Boston added nine and Lele Grissett chipped in eight off the bench. South Carolina shot a woeful 27% from the floor, including a particularly rough 17% from 3, and struggled from the free-throw line as well (4 of 11).

If there’s hope to be taken from such a disappointing performance, let former stars A’ja Wilson and Khadijah Sessions soothe your worries:

The Gamecocks (3-1) face another ranked opponent this weekend when they travel to No. 23 Iowa State.