PHOENIX — South Carolina is headed back to the national championship, the third consecutive title game appearance for the team and the fourth in five years. Top overall seed UConn was held in check by a swarming Gamecock defense that closed out the Final Four win in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies entered Friday's matchup on a 54-game win streak dating back to February 2025. The team defeated South Carolina in the national championship to close out last season's campaign in a commanding 82-59 victory. That result was far from replicated Friday, with the Gamecocks earning a 62-48 win to advance to this season's national championship.
"This time I thought we had enough firepower from an offensive standpoint," head coach Dawn Staley said. "Then just from a defensive standpoint, this team has gotten better defensively in belief and utilizing their God-given abilities to lock in."
Prior to the national semifinal game, the Huskies had shot a nation-best 52.03% from the field and averaged 87.9 points per game, the second-best mark in the nation. South Carolina held the team to 31.1% (19-61) shooting from the field, including 28.6% (6-21) from the 3-point line.
"I thought it was a performance that makes you super proud," Staley said. "When they're able to execute, you can see it as a coach. Sometimes the players don't see it. What they did was just they filled in all the gaps that were created out there. Just super proud of 'em."
Most notably, UConn sophomore forward and Naismith Player of the Year Sarah Strong entered the game averaging 18.6 points per game on 59.4% shooting on the season. Her average ticked up to 19.5 points in tournament games. Against the Gamecocks, Strong was held to just 12 points on 25% (4-16) shooting.
Gamecock sophomore forward Joyce Edwards received most of the responsibility in guarding Strong. She notched a team-high three steals, grabbed eight rebounds and tallied 11 points in the game while aiding in shutting Strong down for most of the night.
South Carolina found itself trailing by 2 at halftime. The team had shot just 31.3% (10-32) across the first two quarters, and Strong had 8 points early, but, per usual, the Gamecocks played their best in the third quarter.
Entering the game, the team had outscored opponents in SEC and NCAA Tournament games by an average of 8.4 points in the third. Friday was no different; Strong was held scoreless, and no Husky made more than one field goal. South Carolina shot 46.2% (6-13) in the period, its best mark of the day, and entered the fourth with a 5-point lead after winning the third 20-13.
"We were able to execute," junior guard Tessa Johnson said. "We knew what the game plan was; we studied the game plan, and we stayed together, and we had that connectivity out there on that court."
Johnson ended the quarter with a 4-point scoring run of her own that helped widen the lead before the fourth quarter. She finished with 10 points, accompanying three other Gamecocks in double-figure scoring.
"Going into the fourth quarter, I think it was just important that we stayed poised," Johnson said. "Anything could happen in 10 minutes; you never know what could happen."
South Carolina was poised in the fourth, indeed, holding UConn to just 9 points in the game's final 10 minutes. The Gamecocks held the Huskies without a made field goal for the final 4:39 of the game, aiding the team's 11-1 run to close out the win.
"We knew the stakes were high, playing in the Final Four against UConn, a very great team," senior guard Ta'Niya Latson said. "We approached it like any other team. We had to play South Carolina basketball, and I think we did that today."