The matchup for the women’s basketball national title game is set, and it’s a doozy.
South Carolina and UConn will face off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday in a matchup between two powerhouse programs. The Gamecocks are looking to repeat as national champions and win their third national title in four seasons, while the Huskies are looking for their school’s record 12th national title – though it would be their first since 2016.
The matchup will pit two of the sport’s most high-profile coaches against one another in SC’s Dawn Staley and UConn’s Geno Auriemma. It’ll also give the college game’s most high-profile player, UConn senior Paige Bueckers, one final shot to win an elusive national title before she moves on to the WNBA.
This will be the second time the teams will face off this year, and the Gamecocks will be looking for revenge. The Huskies won in a rout back in February, defeating South Carolina 87-58 on the Gamecocks’ home floor.
It’ll be the second time in recent years these two teams have faced off in the title game. South Carolina defeated UConn for the title back in the 2022 edition of the national championship game. If the Gamecocks are victorious, they’ll be the first team to repeat as champions since UConn won four straight titles between 2013 and 2016.
The game will be shown on ABC on Sunday afternoon.
South Carolina 74, Texas 57
Reigning champs South Carolina are heading back to the national championship game after defeating Texas 74-57.
The Gamecocks, who are in the title game for the third time in four years, are looking for their fourth title in program history.
South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao scored a team-high 14 points in the win, with freshman Joyce Edwards adding 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
After the game, Edwards gave credit for her and her teams performance to South Carolina alumnus and WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson.
“The reason we are here is because of her,” Edwards told the ESPN broadcast with Wilson watching on at the Amalie Arena. “It’s crazy for her to see a full circle how her legacy is inspiring other girls just like me to come out here and play.”
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who has never lost in a title game, told reporters it is not a statistic to which she pays much attention.
“I don’t even bring it up,” Staley said. “It’s just singularly focused on winning a game. Nothing that happened prior to here is going to help us on Sunday – nothing. … I think playing in the game and seeing how the game is being played out, it’s the only thing that’s going to help us.
“Saying that we’re undefeated in national championship games, it’s not – I wish it helped, I wish it would spot us 10 points because we’re undefeated. I’d feel really good about that.”
The No. 1 seeded Longhorns did not play up to par. Texas finished with 14 total turnovers and struggled from 3-point range, making only four out of 10 attempts.
Longhorns star forward Madison Booker struggled with fouls all game despite finishing with 11 points.
The more impressive statistic from the first of two games on Final Four Friday was that South Carolina have now won 104 straight games when they lead at halftime.
UConn 85, UCLA 51
The No. 2 Huskies secured a return to the NCAA tournament’s national championship game with a dominant 85-51 win over No. 1 UCLA in the second game of the women’s Final Four.
UConn’s dynamic frontcourt duo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd lit up the Bruins, who were the top overall seed in the tournament, combining to score 41 of the Huskies’ 85 points.
Freshman-sensation Strong led the charge with a team-high 22 points, etching her name in history as only the third UConn freshman to drop 20 in a Final Four game.
With the victory, the Huskies punched their ticket to the title game for the first time since 2022. They will square off against No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday, aiming for a record 12th national championship in women’s program history.
The opponent the last time UConn got to the national title game? South Carolina. The Gamecocks handed Geno Auriemma, the all-time winningest coach in women’s basketball history, his only defeat in a national title game in that showdown.
Paige Bueckers, the senior star for the Huskies, said she’s not putting much stock in her team’s performance in Columbia earlier this year and what it means for Sunday.
“At this point, anything you did prior to the season means nothing,” Bueckers said on the key to winning against the Gamecocks. “The record is 0-0, teams are trying to go 1-0 in the final game.”
For UCLA, Friday night’s loss closes the curtain on a groundbreaking season. The top-seeded Bruins, making their first-ever Final Four appearance, couldn’t find their rhythm despite a valiant 26-point effort from standout center Lauren Betts. Plagued by 19 turnovers and a dismal 4-of-16 from beyond the arc, UCLA’s historic run ends in heartbreak.
Bueckers said keeping Betts in check was the key to their game planning.
“They got the best post player in the country, she draws so much attention, she’s very physical she gets to her spot, and they just did a tremendous job on her,” Bueckers said on how the UConn frontcourt defended Betts.
“They’ve been working extremely hard to practice. You can’t beat her, but you can do your best to try to be like her, but they just did a wonderful job in the paint.”
