South Carolina shocks UConn in women’s Final Four, ending Huskies’ bid for perfection
· Yahoo Sports
The South Carolina Gamecocks will play for a national championship after putting an end to Connecticut’s bid for perfection in the women’s Final Four on Friday.
The UCLA Bruins and Texas Longhorns will play in the second game for a chance to potentially secure each program’s second-ever title and face the Gamecocks.
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Here is what to know from Friday’s madness:
South Carolina shocks UConn
South Carolina came into Friday’s game in a position they don’t usually find themselves in: As an underdog to UConn.
And they pulled off a stunning upset, downing the Huskies 62-47 to advance to the national championship game for the fourth time in the past five years.
After a low-scoring first half that saw both teams struggling from three-point range, it was the Gamecocks that woke up after halftime.
Madina Okot #11 of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Serah Williams #22 of the UConn Huskies compete for the tip-off. - C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos/Getty ImagesUConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong fights for the ball against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ta'niya Latson and center Madina Okot in the second half. - Kirby Lee/Imagn Images/Reuters ConnectA quick 12-2 run helped South Carolina jump out to an eight-point lead, the biggest of the game up to that point.
However, the Huskies battled back with Kayleigh Heckel, Blanca Quiñonez and Azzi Fudd hitting back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to make it a one-point game.
But South Carolina answered right back to extend their lead to five with UConn finding themselves in an unfamiliar position — trailing at the end of three quarters for the first time this season.
The Gamecocks shut down any potential comeback attempt by the Huskies in the fourth quarter to coast to the victory.
UConn now ends the season with a 38-1 record and their 54-game winning streak comes to a screeching end.
Amid the season coming to an end for his Huskies squad, head coach Geno Auriemma appeared to exchange heated words with USC head coach Dawn Staley in the final seconds of the game.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, on Friday. - Rick Scuteri/APThe two were separated and did not appear to shake hands after the final buzzer, with Auriemma walking to the locker room tunnel by himself as his UConn players congratulated their opponents.
The 55-year-old Staley said she had “no idea” what happened with the skirmish, but that she “is of integrity.”
“I’m of integrity,” Staley told the ESPN broadcast after the game. “So, if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everyone on his staff’s hand. I don’t know where he came with after the game but hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
The 72-year-old Auriemma, who is the NCAA’s winningest head coach in women’s or men’s college basketball history, initially refused to elaborate on the incident.
“I just said what I had to say. Nothing. Nothing,” Auriemma told reporters.
During the game, Auriemma expressed his displeasure to ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the officiating after Sarah Strong’s jersey appeared to be ripped, leading to her having to change her uniform.
“There were six fouls called that quarter - all of them against us. And they’ve been beating the s*** out of our guys down there the entire game. I’m not making excuses, ‘cause we haven’t been able to make a shot. But this is ridiculous,” Auriemma said.
UConn forward Sarah Strong wearing her #21 jersey in the first half of Friday's women's Final Four game against South Carolina. - Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images/ReutersStrong changed to #55 after her jersey was ripped in the third quarter. - Kirby Lee/Imagn Images/ReutersBut Auriemma expanded on his feelings after the game, including on Staley, adding he had “no regrets.”
“I’ve been coaching a long time. I’ve never had a kid have to change their jersey because somebody ripped it and the official said, I didn’t see it,” Auriemma said.
“There are a lot of things that happened in that game. Unless you’re on that sideline, you have no idea what’s happening on this sideline. No, I mean, for 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours. The protocol is before the game you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker. I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”
Besides jokingly questioning his future in coaching, Auriemma also called for a “double standard” in how coaches talk to refs, pointing a finger at Staley for how she allegedly communicated during the game.
“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed. So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it,” Auriemma added.
South Carolina will look to bring the program’s fourth title back to Columbia, South Carolina on Sunday when they face the winner of the upcoming UCLA-Texas Final Four game.
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Agot Makeer #44 and forward Joyce Edwards #8 celebrate after defeating the UConn Huskies during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament, - Kirby Lee/Imagn ImagesThis is a breaking story and will be updated.
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