photo cred @gamecockwbb
Minneapolis, Minn – The South Carolina Gamecocks finishes their dominant season with a convincing 64-49 victory over the UConn Huskies.
South Carolina came out to an impressive start as they won the first quarter 22-8, which was UConn’s lowest-scoring quarter of the season.
The Gamecocks of South Carolina had the rebound advantage 25-13 in the first half as well, and the Huskies were unable to close that gap enough to win.
Aliyah Boston was the reason this Gamecock team was able to hold off UConn in terms of rebounding with 16 rebounds and 11 points.
The junior showed constant hustle throughout the game and played with a great deal of physicality against this Big East squad. UConn came storming back with an 11-0 run in the third quarter, but the Gamecocks were still up by nine heading into the final quarter.
South Carolina then continued to dominate and held off the Huskies in the fourth quarter with their solid defensive unit.
Paige Bueckers was forced to carry the scoring load with 14 points off six of 13 shooting as she was the only Husky with scoring in the double digits.
Destanni Henderson showed out in the final game of her senior season with a 26 point scoring night, finishing the game with three threes made along with four assists and three key steals.
SOUTH CAROLINA DOMINATES YET AGAIN
The Gamecocks had been a force to be reckoned with all season long, and this year was another great one for South Carolina, with only two losses on the year.
UConn is never an easy team to beat, but South Carolina did not see many issues and forced the Huskies to struggle in a few key areas, such as three-point shooting.
UConn only made four threes throughout the game, but they did end up shooting better than South Carolina.
The Gamecocks shot 18.8 percent from three, but it was the defense for South Carolina that got them to this point.
Holding UConn to 49 is beyond impressive, and the previously mentioned rebounding advantage was huge, with the margin ending at 49-24.
While their offense was not the most efficient it had been all season, it did not matter with the Gamecocks shutting down open lanes and making it a struggle for UConn to get open looks.
DAWN STALEY WINS SECOND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Dawn Staley has been one of the most consistent coaches in all of college basketball, and this championship is another piece in solidifying her legacy. The reigning Coach of the Year proved she deserved that title by bringing this group together, and winning the duel against arguably the greatest coach of all time in Geno Auriemma.
After losing in the National Championship last season, this is now a moment of redemption for not just Staley, but this team that fought so hard to get here.
