Tag: Women’s National Championship Game

South Carolina players, Dawn Staley, went wild as they captured second National Championship in team history

Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks had the time of their lives.

The entire 2021-2022 season felt elementary for South Carolina.

From the opening tip in early November, Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks were the best team in women’s college basketball. It was never even close. Ten wins and a 10-0 mark (!) against ranked opponents. Nine total games decided by single digits (including a 7-2 record in such games). Just two losses, while seldom breaking a sweat.

And now, after beating UConn (-3.5 underdogs) and Geno Auriemma, 64-49: The second National Championship Game victory in South Carolina History.

After such a season of consistency and utter domination, you could forgive the Gamecocks if they wanted to let loose a little bit. Win a title, and you will want to party like there’s no tomorrow.

That’s exactly what Staley, superstar Aliyah Boston, and everyone on the court did in Minneapolis.

There’s nothing like watching those final wonderful seconds tick off the clock, is there?

Any thoughts, Destanni Henderson?

Okay, yeah, you’re a little busy. Enjoy the moment.

We’ll go to Dawn Staley for her final, expressive thoughts.

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With South Carolina’s victory over UConn, Geno Auriemma suffered his first-ever loss in a Championship Game

Geno finally has a blemish on the big stage.

Few coaches will ever be able to compare their success to Geno Auriemma.

Since taking over UConn in the mid-1990s, Auriemma has taken the Huskies on an all-time quarter-century-plus run. Over 1,100 wins. 22 Final Four’s. A pipeline of countless larger-than-life stars who first made their hay under his tutelage.

But between the victories and overall program development, Auriemma could most hang his hat on one specific, unimpeachable mark: An 11-0 record in National Championship Games. Undefeated. A big fat zero in the loss column every time his team has reached the last boss of the last level. It’s an incredible achievement.

It’s also something Auriemma and all of his past players should be proud of because it’s finally over. With South Carolina’s 64-69 win over UConn in the Women’s National Championship, Auriemma has his first-ever title game defeat.

It took over 27 years, and Aliyah Boston and Dawn Staley paired together, but someone was finally able to overcome the UConn title game hex.

In a smaller but still notable sidenote: This is also now UConn’s longest championship drought with Auriemma. How long? Uh, six years (2016-TBD). Okay, first, you can stop rolling your eyes. Half a decade is a long time for the Huskies and this great coach.

At a certain point, Auriemma and Co. would always meet their maker. Playing for that many championships is testing fate and the luck of the draw. But that it took this long and 12 tries (!!!) for him to fall short at the last step is beyond commendable. We will likely never see this kind of impeccable record, with that much consistent excellence in the clutch, in any sport, ever again.

Hats off to Auriemma, every player with Connecticut over the years, and the official end of a legendary sports record.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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UConn alums Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird summed up first half against South Carolina perfectly

Taurasi and Bird couldn’t help but wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Coming into the Women’s National Championship Game, everyone knew UConn (three and a half-point underdogs at tip) would face a tall order to upset South Carolina.

Paige Bueckers was great, but Aliyah Boston and Co. were the top seed for a reason. They were the best team all year, and it’d be hard to see them fall short at the final step. For the most part, as the title game unfolded early, those pregame suspicions turned out to come true.

After one quarter, the Gamecocks held a staggering 22-8 lead. It was the Huskies’ lowest points scored in a quarter all year, and Bueckers was scoreless.

But the score alone didn’t tell the story of the massive discrepancy between the two squads.

How do you get just three rebounds in one quarter of a Championship Game? Oh, right, Boston and Brea Beal. But still! Three rebounds!

It wasn’t a stellar start for UConn, to say the least.

Former UConn greats, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird — hosting ESPN’s side-by-side Megacast for the second time in as many nights — summed up the Huskies’ start with one camera pan.

Arms crossed. Stoic looks. No jokes. No analysis. The UConn loyalty unsurprisingly still runs quite strong in these two.

If it’s any consolation for Taurasi, Bird, and the Huskies — they did go on a run to end the first half while cutting South Carolina’s lead to 35-27. It wasn’t all bad. We might have a close game yet.

But oh boy, was that first stanza rough on everyone in Connecticut.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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