PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley and South Carolina are back in a familiar place, reaching the NCAA championship game for the fourth time in five years. They’ll have to beat a title-seeking newcomer in UCLA to win the ultimate prize. South Carolina will be trying to win its fourth national championship in nine years. The Gamecocks played stifling defense to knock off UConn 62-48 and end the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak in the semifinals Friday night. UCLA played incredible defense of its own in its 51-44 win over Texas. The Bruins spoiled a chance at the first all-SEC title game since 2017, when Staley’s team beat Mississippi State, which was led by current Texas coach Vic Schaefer.
PHOENIX (AP) — Lauren Betts had 16 points and made a huge block late, and UCLA withstood a late charge by Texas for a 51-44 win to reach the women’s NCAA Tournament national championship game for the first time. Manhandled by eventual national champion UConn in their first Final Four a year ago, the Bruins (36-1) dominated their way to another national semifinal with the best season in program history. A chance at a first national championship game appearance had to go through the only team to beat them this season. Overpowered in the first meeting, the Bruins turned the bully tables on Texas (35-4), shutting down All-American Madison Booker while building a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
PHOENIX (AP) — Ta’Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night, ending the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women’s NCAA Tournament championship game.The Gamecocks have now reached the NCAA championship game in four of the last five seasons, including the past three. They will be looking to win a fourth national title Sunday when they face UCLA, capping off another March Madness. South Carolina (36-3) will be looking to win its fourth national championship. UConn (38-1) entered the Final Four undefeated for the ninth time in school history and for the third straight time left without a title. The Huskies also lost in the 2017 and 2018 national semifinals.
UNDATED (AP) — President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at fixing college sports that would give federal agencies authority to cut funding at schools that don’t comply with mandates covering transfers, eligibility and pay-for-play in the rapidly changing industry. The order is a laundry list of proposed fixes that lawmakers and college leaders have been pushing for. Among the notable parts of the order was a call to establish “clear, consistent and fair eligibility limits, including a five-year participation window.”
PHOENIX (AP) — UConn’s Geno Auriemma was not a happy man. The Huskies coach was upset about the officiating, with his team’s performance or South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. The Huskies coach ripped into the officiating during a live TV interview and then got into a heated argument with Staley in the final seconds of their 62-48 loss to the Gamecocks. But a rough night for UConn stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd was the main cause of their stunning collapse in the national semifinals of the women’s Final Four on Friday night.
PHOENIX (AP) — Madison Booker has led the Texas offense all season, so it was little surprise that she hit a jumper less than a minute into the game to give the Longhorns an early two-point lead. It was the last shot she would make for more than three quarters. The AP All-America forward missed her next 17 attempts from the field as the Longhorns fell to UCLA 51-44 on Friday night in the national semifinals of the women’s Final Four. It’s the second straight year Booker’s season has ended with a disappointing game. She had just 11 points and one rebound while fighting foul trouble in a 74-57 loss to South Carolina in last year’s national semifinals.
UNDATED (AP) — Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne is calling for an end to the Southeastern Conference championship game. He believes the event has run its course, especially with an expanded playoff likely in the future. Alabama lost to Georgia 28-7 in the SEC title game, leaving the team with a 10-3 record. But the selection committee considered Alabama's regular-season success and included the Crimson Tide in the playoff. Byrne's stance isn't necessarily unique. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte and others have suggested changes. Georgia coach Kirby Smart sees both sides but values the SEC title's significance.
PHOENIX (AP) — When Jennifer Rizzotti arrived at UConn as a player in 1992, the expectations around the school, as well as the women’s basketball landscape, were much different than they are today. Geno Auriemma was only in his eighth season coaching the Huskies. And women’s basketball as a whole hadn’t seen the unprecedented growth in sponsorships and popularity it is experiencing now. Within a few years, the Huskies went undefeated en route to their first national title. Everything about the program changed, and even as women’s basketball has evolved and skyrocketed in exposure, the Huskies have remained the gold standard.
