The South Carolina women's basketball team's title run fell short on Sunday afternoon, losing to the Connecticut Huskies 82-59 in the NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship at Amalie Arena. UConn graduate guard Azzi Fudd was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
"Here's where I must say that much respect to UConn," head coach Dawn Staley said. "They did a masterful job in executing on both sides of the basketball."
Both teams shot out of the gate firing, with UConn leading 15-13 after the first six minutes. The Gamecocks shot 6-10 from the field to begin the game, while UConn shot 7-12. Junior forward Chloe Kitts got involved early, knocking down a pair of short jump shots for 4 quick points.
The defenses tightened up late in the first quarter. The Gamecocks didn't knock down a field goal after the four minute mark, struggling around the rim. The Gamecocks finished the first quarter shooting 6-15 (40%) from the field with four turnovers. UConn redshirt senior guard Paige Bueckers banked in a touch shot to give the Huskies a 19-14 lead entering the second quarter.
UConn's lead got up to 23-14 after some quick buckets from Bueckers and freshman forward Sarah Strong. The Gamecocks responded with a pair of second-chance layups from freshman forward Joyce Edwards and senior forward Sania Feagin. South Carolina struggled in the first six minutes of the second quarter, shooting 3-10 (30%) in that span as UConn led 29-22.
The Huskies defense began to swallow up South Carolina, as the Gamecocks went on a near five minute scoring drought as the half drew to a close. Sophomore guard Tessa Johnson drained a clutch 3-pointer to end an 0-7 drought as a team, but a 3-pointer from UConn sophomore guard Ashlynn Shade gave the Huskies a commanding 36-26 lead entering halftime. Fudd led all scorers at the break with 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the field.
The Gamecocks struggled to keep up with UConn midway through the third quarter, and it was all Fudd and Strong with the first 12 points. The Gamecocks started the quarter 3-8 (37.5%) from the field. UConn scored rapidly without committing a turnover, while South Carolina had two. Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley and Feagin each got some layups to cut the UConn lead to 50-39.
The Huskies extended its lead to 62-42 by the end of the quarter. South Carolina ended the third quarter without a player in double-figures, as Kitts led all Gamecocks with 9. UConn ended the last four minutes of the third quarter on a 12-5 run.
The fourth quarter was quickly blown out of proportion as the Huskies went a 10-2 run in the first 2:15 of the quarter. Bueckers hit an emphatic layup as Fulwiley fouled her to extend the lead to 72-44. The play got Bueckers up to 17 points on the afternoon after not being the primary offensive option for much of the game.
The UConn starters got their curtain call up 82-53 with 1:32 left in the second half, as UConn head coach Geno Auriemma embraced Bueckers, who capped off a storied career with a national championship win. Fulwiley knocked down a 3-pointer in the final seconds, but UConn took home the trophy with an 82-59 final.
UConn defense was too much to handle
One of the primary outliers that the game came down to was just which team made more shots. Although UConn shot nearly 50% from the field as a team, South Carolina shot just 21-61 (34.4%) as a team. Tessa Johnson and Edwards scored 10 points apiece to pace South Carolina, but the starting five only scored 24 total points. Staley said she thought her team was playing to the game plan well, but it simply came down to shot making.
"I mean, the game plan was being executed in the first half," Staley said. "We just couldn't get the looks that we normally make. If we just made layups you might be able to make it a little bit more interesting."
Tessa Johnson said that South Carolina as a team was missing really easy buckets, while there was a clear message in the halftime locker room about stringing together a run to start the half.
"We were saying like, 'We're only down 10 right now, we're missing a lot, like, we got to go out there and finish it,'" Tessa Johnson said. "And then we went out there, and they handed it to us."
A big three that South Carolina could not stop
65 of UConn's 82 points came from three players — Fudd, Strong and Bueckers. Strong had the most dominant night of the three, finishing with 24 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. She shot 10-15 (67%) from the field while going 2-3 from beyond the arc.
Fudd scored 24 points of her own on 9-17 (53%) from the field and five rebounds. Bueckers finished with 17 points on 5-14 (36%) shooting with six rebounds and three assists. The Gamecocks' defensive plan for much of the night was to face-guard Bueckers and keep her from handling the ball. While that strategy was executed for much of the game, it left an an undeniable two-man game from Fudd and Strong that South Carolina could not stop.
"They just gave their all," Feagin said. "They played really hard, they played really dominant."
Edwards said she could tell when the game started to get away late in the second half. She said the team started to feel it, but they told themselves to continue battling.
"They had us by, what, 21 points in the second half," Edwards said. "At that point you realize you're not going to win the game. But you just keep fighting. That's all you can do. You don't go down without a fight."
Title run falls just short
A season that saw the Gamecocks win 35 games and make a fifth-consecutive Final Four has come to an end. Staley is no longer undefeated in National Championship games, falling to 3-1. Staley had to show love to her senior class before anything else after the game, reflecting on their career and impact.
"I have to say goodbye to a senior class that had a historical impact on our game and our program and our conference and our city and our state," Staley said. "Although they won't be in our huddle anymore, I'm sure they'll find their way in another huddle at the next level."
The loss marks the final game of the careers of Feagin, senior guard Bree Hall and senior guard Te-Hina Paopao. For Paopao, the loss hasn't quite hit her yet while she remains grateful for the time she got to spend at South Carolina.
I just want to thank the coaching staff and South Carolina for just being able to pour into someone who was looking for a home," Paopao said. "I found my forever home."