Undefeated UConn upset by South Carolina in women's Final Four

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Ta'Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defence to bushed UConn 62-48 connected Friday night, ending the Huskies' 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women's NCAA Tournament title game.

The Gamecocks volition look the victor of Texas and UCLA semifinal connected Sunday for the title, capping disconnected different March Madness. South Carolina (36-3) volition beryllium looking to triumph its 4th nationalist championship. Their different 3 person travel successful the past decade.

UConn (38-1) entered the Final Four undefeated for the ninth clip successful schoolhouse past and for the 3rd consecutive clip near without a title. The Huskies besides mislaid successful the 2017 and 2018 nationalist semifinals. This was the fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 points successful a nationalist title crippled nonaccomplishment to the Gamecocks successful 2022.

The Huskies and Gamecocks played past play for the rubric and UConn came distant with an 82-59 rout for the school's 12th nationalist championship. UConn besides bushed South Carolina handily during the 2024-25 regular season.

With little than a 2nd remaining successful the game, UConn manager Geno Auriemma walked crossed the tribunal to shingle hands with Dawn Staley and had an animated speech with the South Carolina manager portion pointing to the floor. Staley yelled backmost astatine him arsenic assistants from some teams separated the two.

When the timepiece ran retired finally, Auriemma walked consecutive to the passageway and didn't shingle hands. The 2 teams did shingle hands.

The teams came into the crippled arsenic the second- and third-leading scoring teams successful the nation, some averaging implicit 87 points per game. This was a antiaircraft battle.

Leading 46-44 a fewer minutes into the 3rd quarter, South Carolina scored 5 consecutive points, capped by Agot Makeer's 3-pointer to widen the vantage to seven.

Sarah Strong deed a 3-pointer to get the Huskies backmost wrong 51-47 with 4:39 left. The Huskies didn't people again until Strong deed a escaped propulsion with 30.8 seconds left, aft South Carolina had scored 11 consecutive points.

South Carolina clamped down connected UConn's 2 stars. Strong, who was honored arsenic the AP Player of the Year connected Thursday, had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but went 4 for 16 from the field. Azzi Fudd had conscionable 8 points for the Huskies, making lone 3 of 15 shots.

UConn had its worst shooting nighttime of the season, finishing 19 for 61 (31.1%) from the field.

Trailing 26-24 astatine the half, South Carolina opened the 3rd 4th with a 12-2 tally to instrumentality the lead. The Gamecocks extended the vantage to 40-30 — the biggest shortage the Huskies' had faced this season.

UConn, which missed 10 of its archetypal 11 3-point attempts, past started to get blistery from the field, hitting 3 consecutive 3-pointers, the past by Fudd to get wrong 40-39. The All-America defender had missed 7 of her archetypal 8 shots arsenic she was blanketed by South Carolina's defense.

South Carolina's Tessa Johnson scored the last 4 points of the 4th to marque it 44-39.

Both teams had cruised to the Final Four, each winning successful the archetypal 4 rounds of the tourney easily. The Huskies had been seldom challenged each play long, routing their Big East opponents by grounds margins.

Facing their archetypal existent trial successful a agelong time, they had nary answer.

The opening 20 minutes was afloat of missed shots and turnovers. The 2 teams combined to sprout 22 for 62 from the tract (35.4%) and had 14 turnovers. UConn led 26-24 astatine the half.

There were dozens of erstwhile Huskies and Gamecocks players successful the assemblage including Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston. Boston was sitting adjacent to Flavor Flav, who is simply a immense protagonist of women's sports.

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