The South Carolina and Connecticut teams won in the Final Four on Friday to advance to the national championship game. The program is on the cable network, ESPN.
In the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, the Gamecocks beat the Huskies 73-57 in a nonconference game.
The NCAA title game will be played for the first time since 2016 after the University of Connecticut defeated the defending champion.
The 11-time national champion Huskies have never lost in the title game. In the national semifinals, the University of Connecticut snapped a four-game losing streak. The sophomore scored 14 points to lead the team.
The team had won 24 consecutive games.
South Carolina beat Louisville 72-59 on Friday in a battle of the top seeds. Boston had 23 points and 18 rebound for her 29th double-double of the season. A year after a heartbreaking one-point loss in the semifinals, the consensus national player of the year led the Gamecocks to the national championship game.
South Carolina will play in the NCAA title game. The Gamecocks won the NCAA title in their only other appearance.
The Final Four was broken down by the team and they looked ahead to the title game.
In the second quarter, Evina Westbrook shows off her range as she sinks back-to-back 3-pointers.
The team shot 34.8% from the field, 4-for-23 on 3-pointers, and 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 What did the University of Connecticut do defensively to cause the offensive problems of the Cardinal?
Both teams struggled from the field, but the other team was more defensive. The Cardinal was matched up with the zone for most of the game, as the Huskies mixed up their defensive looks early on. It became more difficult as multiple players got into foul trouble. With Dorka Juhasz out with a broken wrist, the team went with a four-guard lineup. Freshman guard Azzi Fudd sat out the entire second quarter with two fouls. The foul trouble did not affect the game in the early going, but as the game wore on, it became apparent that the gap was closing.
It was not possible for Stanford to buy a basket. The Cardinal shot just 34.8% from the field and 17.4% from beyond the 3-point line, which hampered their ability to take advantage of the early foul discrepancy and the 19 turnovers. The mistakes made by the University of Connecticut kept the game going. The outcome of the game was decided by the out-rebounding of the Cardinal 45-36.
At various points, the seniors stepped up. How did they contribute to the win?
In the second quarter, Westbrook came off the bench and drained three 3s to keep the Huskies in the game. Nelson-Ododa made a couple of key baskets down low in the fourth quarter, getting fouls called on the bigs. Christyn Williams hit a crucial 3 and two free throws in the final seconds of the game to give the University of Connecticut a four point lead.
This group of seniors have been in the dog house of head coach Geno Auriemma over the course of their careers. With the season on the line, they stepped up to get the Huskies to the national championship game. Geno Auriemma has never lost a championship final.
What was the difference in the game?
The numbers that most impacted this game can be found in the box score. The 3-point shooting that was a strength for the Cardinal all season, but was not good in Spokane, was a disaster on Friday night. The looks were there. The results weren't good. The kind of shooting it could not overcome was the 4 of 23 from behind the arc.
During her in-game interview, Tara VanDerveer said that her team wasn't moving the ball quickly enough. The Cardinal had 10 assists, 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611
What are your first impressions of the NCAA final?
The two teams were supposed to play a second time on January 27. The game was canceled because South Carolina prioritized making up the SEC game that was postponed.
The backcourt of the Huskies is their strength. The frontcourt of South Carolina is Boston, Kamilla Cardoso, and Victaria Saxton.
The team with the least dominant position group might get the most out of it. That will be where the bigs are most important.
Nelson-Ododa andEdwards have been productive in the tournament, and held their own against the size of the other team. The key will be against South Carolina. The two teams combined for just 12 points and six Rebounds when the two teams met in November. Boston had 22 points and 15 rebound. She can get opponents post players in foul trouble with her combination of strength and agility. Nelson-Ododa can't get saddled with fouls because Juhasz is unavailable. Boston will likely dominate with either off the court or not. This game will look similar to the one in November if that happens. South Carolina will win its second national title and hand the first loss to Connecticut.
The National Championship game will be played in South Carolina.
South Carolina beat Louisville.
South Carolina has four victories over AP Top-5 opponents this season. The team tied their single-season record for wins in a season.
The season ended with a 29-5 record for Louisville. The senior forward led the team with 18 points, nine rebound and four steals. Ticha Penicheiro had a single-tournament record of 23 steals.
Louisville made a run and South Carolina responded. What changes were made to win the game?
The Final Four of the women's NCAA tournament is set. Play a tournament.
Boston is a creme. Boston is always what South Carolina needs. The Gamecocks were in complete control with a 15-point lead in the third quarter. There were a couple of missed layups and four turnovers by the guards. It was a game again when Louisville got within six. Boston did something. Boston scored five points in a 30-second stretch in the fourth quarter. The lead ballooned back to 11 after she took over the paint and backboards. Louisville did not threaten again.
In Louisville's four NCAA tournament games, Van Lith scored 20 points, but she didn't get going until the second half. How did South Carolina disrupt her?
Barnes said that Brea Beal disrupted everything the Louisville sophomore tried to do. Two of Van Lith's early shot attempts were blocked by a 6-foot-1 junior guard named Beal. The smaller Van Lith was forced to make more adjustments to get around her because of her size and length. South Carolina's size in the lane and Beal's on the perimeter stifled all levels of her game as a smaller guard. Van Lith couldn't really get into the paint, she couldn't get a pull-up jumper going, and she attempted three 3-point shots all game. Van Lith competed hard until she was pulled from the game, but South Carolina frustrated her early, and she never recovered.
Aliyah Boston explains how South Carolina earned a championship bid despite the Final Four loss.
The difference-making stat was what it was.
South Carolina had made five by midway through the third, while Louisville had made just one trey and attempted eight shots from behind the 3-point line.
The fact that Louisville attempted just five 3s going into the final minute is a testament to how uncomfortable South Carolina was with their defense. The 34% clip from 3 is not impressive, but the guards started 5-for-10 from the line, which opened up the game. If the Gamecocks can hit timely 3s like they did Friday, they will be in a good position to cut down the nets.
Also, it should be noted that Beal was productive not just defensively, but also on the offensive end, taking advantage of open shots given to her by Louisville's defense that was too preoccupied with Boston. For the first time this season, Beal has finished in double figures in back-to-back games.
What must South Carolina do better in the title game?
South Carolina did well on Friday night. Taking care of the basketball is one area where the Gamecocks could improve. South Carolina has an average of 14 turnovers per game, but they had 15 against Louisville. The extra possessions were converted into 13 points for the other team. There were stretches when the guards looked careless with the ball, throwing skip passes that hung in the air or trying to thread one too many needles. Not all of those decisions resulted in turnovers on Sunday.
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