The UCLA women’s basketball team is ranked No. 1 in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in program history. The Bruins (5-0) beat defending national champion South Carolina on Sunday afternoon to rise from the No. 5 spot. UConn (4-0) remained at No. 2, Notre Dame (5-0) is at No. 3 and the Gamecocks (5-1), who had held the top spot in the previous 23 polls and 61 of the past 62, fell to No. 4. USC (4-1), which lost to Notre Dame on Saturday at the Galen Center, dropped three spots to No. 6, behind Texas (4-0). UCLA ended South Carolina’s 43-game winning streak, 77-62, in a raucous, star-studded Pauley Pavilion, the first time in program history that the Bruins defeated a No. 1 team. They had been 0-20 against top-ranked opponents. “I think the piece that really hits me is that we’re doing something for the first time in school history and we shared it with decades of alum,” UCLA coach Cori Close said Monday as the poll was released. “It was great to have so many alumni in our locker room to share it with. The people that blazed the trail for us we’re walking in is really special.” Sunday was the first time South Carolina lost a game in 602 days, and it was the largest loss for the Gamecocks since March 2019 (15 points). “This means a lot because of the respect we have (for South Carolina),” Close said after the game. “That being said, we expected to win.” UCLA earned 20 first-place votes from the 32-member national media panel. UConn had nine first-place votes after a historic week of its own with Coach Geno Auriemma setting the NCAA all-time victories record. Notre Dame received the other three No. 1 votes. The Bruins are the 26th different school to hold the No. 1 spot in the history of the women’s Top 25, which began in the 1976-77 season. Related Articles College Sports | No. 5 UCLA women’s basketball takes down top-ranked South Carolina College Sports | No. 5 UCLA women’s basketball eager for No. 1 South Carolina test College Sports | UCLA women’s basketball starts hot, flies past Pepperdine College Sports | Lauren Betts’ career night propels No. 5 UCLA women past Colgate College Sports | Swanson: Can USC, UCLA women’s basketball teams top last season? Pressure’s on “We came here saying we want to be an elite basketball program and to be in that company as the 26th program ever to be a No. 1 team is significant,” Close said. “I’m grateful.” Bruins center Lauren Betts made the Big Ten Basketball Weekly Honor Roll after recording a double-double (11 points, 14 rebounds) in Sunday’s game. Londynn Jones led UCLA with 15 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 on 3-pointers. UCLA next heads to Honolulu for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, which begins on Friday against UT Martin. Big Ten Conference play begins on Dec. 8 at Washington. The Associated Press contributed to this story.