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The lopsided victory by the 37-3 Huskies was the second win over South Carolina this year. In February, they traveled to Columbia, S.C., and brought home a decisive 87-58 victory, snapping Dawn Staley’s 71 home game win streak, dating back to 2022. That year, the Gamecocks beat Auriemma’s Huskies for the national title. It was the UConn coach’s first loss in a title game.
Two years later, Staley suffered her first championship loss. South Carolina was looking to win their coach the third title in four years and become the first women’s team to repeat as champion since 2016. Ironically, the last team to do that was UConn.
The Huskies made it to the championship by dominating the UCLA Bruins, 85-51. UConn led by 10 in the first quarter, and UCLA scored only nine points in the second frame and was down by 20 at halftime. The Huskies set an NCAA record, winning by the largest margin of victory in women’s Final Four history, so the table was set for a rival rematch game.
In the first quarter of this contest, South Carolina scored early, hitting five out of seven of its first shots. The Gamecocks went cold after this, missing seven of eight baskets with time ticking down at the end of the quarter.
UConn guard Azzi Fudd was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. PHOTO: KATIE DUGAN
The drought continued until freshman Joyce Edwards hit a free throw at 3:59 of the second quarter. By that time, the sharp-shooting Huskies went on an 8-0 run behind senior Azzi Fudd, who scored her 1,000th point, senior Page Bueckers, and freshman Sarah Strong, who contributed eight points in the first half. At intermission, UConn was up by 10 points because of the “Big Three.”
“Well, it’s amazing to have three players, three people like that on the same team,” said Auriemma, adding, “And Sarah, you would think Sarah was graduating the way she plays. All three of them complement each other so well. They all have such unique skill sets.”
With this win, Auriemma became the oldest coach, at 71, to win a major college basketball championship. By the end of the third quarter, the lead had ballooned to 20, and Dawn Staley had run out of answers.
“You can see it happening in real-time, and you can understand why you got beat,” said Staley. There wasn’t anything she could do to stem the tide of UConn’s scorers or defense. The Huskies defense held the Gamecocks to 34% shooting and forced them into 11 turnovers for the game, while hitting almost 50% of their shots.
Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd each had 24 points for the Huskies, while Bueckers added 17 points. Amazingly, the UConn Big Three combined for 65 of the team’s 81 points. They also had a combined 26 rebounds, nine assists, six steals, and five blocks. Collectively, they outscored the entire Gamecock team, 65-59.
This win was incredibly gratifying for Bueckers, whose trek to a championship was derailed in 2021 when she suffered a knee injury, missing 19 games, then tore her ACL, causing the senior to miss the entire 2022 season. This trophy was the only one missing from her collection. During the final moments of the championship game, the projected first pick in the WNBA draft came out and wept on her coach’s shoulders.
Auriemma waxed poetic about his star. “They’ve all been gratifying, don’t get me wrong,” Auriemma said. “But this one here, because of the way it came about and what’s been involved, it’s been a long time since I’ve been that emotional when a player has walked off the court.”
Buecker’s teammate, Azzi Fudd, was awarded the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four for her stellar performance during the tournament.
Despite South Carolina coming up short in their title defense of last year’s championship, the Gamecocks finished with a 35-4 record and had an impressive tournament showing. Their recent history is incredible. They’ve been to five straight Final Fours, three of the last four national championship games, and won two national titles while going undefeated in one of those seasons.
“Our kids gave it all they had,” said Staley. “When you can understand why you lost and when you’ve been on the other side of that three times, you understand it. You can swallow it. We lost to a very, very good basketball team.”
She also pointed out what this loss meant for her team going forward. “I hope they’re boohooing because from crying, they have emotion about losing, which makes you work hard in the offseason.”
Finally, Staley said, “They’re very talented, and I think they got a great experience of playing at this level. … I hope they have a desire to get back here and do all the things it takes to play in the national championship game and to deliver the blows needed to win.”
On Friday, the Gamecocks looked ready for a UConn rematch by dismantling the Texas Long Horns in the first semifinal match. Early on, Texas, jumping out to a 12-4 lead in the game’s opening minutes with a fierce defense, seemed to stifle the Gamecocks. However, after Texas forward Maddie Booker, the SEC Player of the Year, picked up two fouls, the Gamecocks settled in and took the lead.
Texas fought back, but after Booker got her third foul of the first half, she had to sit out, and South Carolina took advantage. After the half, South Carolina outscored the Longhorns, 36-22, for a 74-57 win. Senior Te-Hina Paopao led them with 14 points and freshman phenom Joyce Edwards had 13. Madison Booker, who scored 11 points, and Jordan Lee, who had 16, were the top scorers for Texas.
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