PHOENIX — The uconn game felt different from the start Friday night, with every possession carrying the weight of a season that had stayed perfect until South Carolina’s defense closed the door. By the end, the scoreboard showed a 62-48 South Carolina win, and the mood around UConn had shifted from belief to disbelief.
How did South Carolina take control of the Uconn game?
South Carolina used stifling defense, timely scoring, and patience under pressure to end UConn’s 54-game winning streak and send the Gamecocks to the women’s NCAA Tournament championship game. Ta’Niya Latson scored 16 points and Agot Makeer added 14, giving South Carolina the balance it needed in a game where every stop mattered.
The teams entered the Final Four as the second- and third-leading scoring teams in the nation, each averaging more than 87 points per game. That made the final result even more striking. UConn finished with 48 points, its fewest since scoring 49 in a national championship game loss to South Carolina in 2022. On Friday, UConn shot 19 for 61 from the field, its worst shooting night of the season at 31 percent.
What changed in the final minutes?
South Carolina led 46-44 a few minutes into the third quarter before scoring five straight points, capped by Makeer’s 3-pointer that stretched the margin to seven. UConn answered briefly when Sarah Strong hit a 3-pointer to trim the gap to 51-47 with 4: 39 left, but the Huskies did not score again until Strong made a free throw with 30. 8 seconds remaining. By then, South Carolina had put together 11 straight points.
The numbers told the story of the final stretch, but the body language made it plain too. UConn’s frustration grew as the game slipped away, and the pressure of a perfect season ending on the Final Four stage gave the night an edge that lingered after the final buzzer.
Why did the ending feel so tense?
After the game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma was visibly angry with the officiating, his team’s performance, and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. In a live television interview, he criticized the calls and said, “There were six fouls called that quarter — all of them against us. ” He also said UConn had not been able to make shots, but added, “This is ridiculous. ”
The tension carried into the final seconds, when Auriemma and Staley had a heated exchange that required assistants to separate them. Auriemma then walked off the court and down the tunnel without shaking hands with the Gamecocks. The scene gave the game an edge that matched the stakes: a national championship berth, a lost unbeaten run, and a rivalry already marked by recent high-pressure meetings.
What does this result mean for South Carolina now?
For South Carolina, the win sends Dawn Staley to a chance at her fourth NCAA championship. The Gamecocks, now 38-3, will play UCLA on Sunday after the Bruins beat Texas 51-44 in the late semifinal. Lauren Betts scored 16 points and delivered a key late block as UCLA reached the national championship game for the first time.
South Carolina’s victory also completes a reversal from last season, when UConn beat the Gamecocks 82-59 in the title game to claim the school’s 12th national championship. This time, South Carolina controlled the more physical night and turned a matchup of elite offenses into a defensive statement. In the final minutes of the uconn game, the Gamecocks were steadier, sharper, and one step closer to another title.
