#1 South Carolina Defeats #2 UConn (64-49) to Win 2nd Title in 5 Years
Never in doubt! The No. 1 overall seed went wire-to-wire to cut down the nets Sunday night in Minneapolis. The South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Player of the Year Aliyah Boston and a breakout performance from Destanni Henderson, are NCAA champions. Dawn Staley claimed her second championship in five years, and a new dynasty is here to stay.
How the Title Game Was Won
South Carolina thrashed UConn in the first quarter (22-8), handing the Huskies their lowest first-quarter scoring total all season. After South Carolina stretched the lead as high as 18, UConn scratched back to within six thanks to a 10-0 run in the 3rd quarter. But the 4th period belonged to the Gamecocks as Henderson and Boston extended the advantage back to double digits and cruised to victory (64-49).
Bottling Up Boston, But Can't Stop Destanni
UConn made the game plan apparent as they doubled Aliyah Boston (11 points, 16 rebounds), holding her to just eight shot attempts. Even still, Boston put together her 30th double-double of the season. The x-factor was the star who stepped up with a career-high on the biggest stage — Destanni Henderson (26 points).
Rebounds Made the Difference
South Carolina dominated the glass all night long, snatching 21 offensive boards and out-rebounding Connecticut, 49-24. The Gamecocks had as many boards as UConn had points. They finished plus-17 in second-chance points (22-5).
NCAAW Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Aliyah Boston (SC): 17.0 points, 17.0 rebounds
The Dawn of a New Dynasty
The South Carolina women’s basketball program has become one of the next dynasties in the sport thanks to head coach Dawn Staley. Staley took over 13 years ago, and she’s led SC to four Final Fours in the last seven seasons, including the school’s first title in 2017. Now, with her second national championship in hand, the Gamecocks (35-2) just went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the land from October to April. They capped it off with a fitting wire-to-wire win over another women's basketball dynasty, handing opposing head coach Geno Auriemma his first-ever loss in a championship game (now 11-1).
Two titles in five seasons? Dynasty Dawn is here to stay. South Carolina was also poised for the No. 1 overall seed and what could've been a third championship in 2020 when the tournament shuttered due to COVID-19. Staley is just the sixth coach in NCAA women's basketball history with multiple championships.
Women's Coaches With Multiple 'Ships
Geno Auriemma, UConn (11)
Pat Summitt, Tennessee (8)
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford (3)
Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame (2)
Kim Mulkey, Baylor (2)
Linda Sharp, USC (2)
Dawn Staley, South Carolina (2)
Watch: #1 South Carolina Wins National Championship
Final Four Semifinal Highlights (Friday Night)
#1 South Carolina def. #1 Louisville (72-59)
#2 UConn def. #1 Stanford (63-58)
Additional Storylines
The Athletic: How South Carolina Beat UConn to Win the National Championship
ESPN: Aliyah Boston’s Redemption: Player of the Year Delivers NCAA Title to South Carolina
