The University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team fell to No. 1 South Carolina, 88-53, Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.

Junior Stephanie Paul paced Georgia (12-8) in scoring with 13 points. Joining Paul in double digits was junior Gabby Connally with 11 points.

“We were playing the number one team in the country,” Georgia head coach Joni Taylor said. “They’re number one for a reason. They can pick you apart, anybody that’s on the floor. They can score. They found holes in our defense and picked us apart. Offensively, we struggled. We couldn’t put together for four quarters an offensive game plan. They were really good defensively today against us.”

South Carolina took an early double-digit lead, 12-2, halfway through the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs completed the frame facing a 28-8 deficit.

As a result of three 3-pointers from Connally, Georgia cut the Gamecocks’ advantage to 34-21. Field goals from three different Lady Bulldogs kept Georgia within 20 points heading into the locker room, 47-30.

After exchanging baskets out of the locker room, South Carolina extended its advantage to 63-37, its largest of the contest up to that point. Seven-straight points from Georgia, highlighted by a 3-point shot from junior Maya Caldwell, cut the deficit to under 20 points. Paul sent the Lady Bulldogs into the final period with a 3-point buzzer-beater to end the frame 65-47.

The Gamecocks outscored Georgia 19-4 over seven minutes of play in the fourth quarter, capping the game with its largest advantage, 88-53.

Up next, the Lady Bulldogs will travel to College Station to face No. 15 Texas A&M on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network +.