Womens Hoops

NCAAW: SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

NCAAW: SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

With 2:55 remaining in the third Sunday night at Target Center in Minneapolis, South Carolina junior forward Laeticia Amihere saw teammate Victaria Saxton out of the corner of her eye near the sideline. She threw the ball in Saxton’s direction, but, problematically, Saxton was on the wrong side of the sideline, merely moving toward the scorer’s table to check in at the next whistle.

The Gamecocks’ opponent in the national championship game, UConn, had had some signature Paige Bueckers moments and the Gamecocks had made some other mistakes. As a result, UConn was in the game with or without that miscue. But the Huskies nearly used it to close the gap altogether.

UConn was already on a 2-0 run and it sparked eight more Husky points, starting with an Aaliyah Edwards layup. Freshman Caroline Ducharme followed with an impressive three while back-pedaling into the right corner and then Evina Westbrook, who was so hot in the semifinals, truly shifted momentum with a three of her own. All of a sudden it was a six-point game (43-37).

Enter Destanni Henderson. She wasn’t about to let the Gamecocks’ wire-to-wire reign at No. 1 end in heartbreak, scoring the final three points of the third to put South Carolina up nine. She then scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to finish with a career- and game-high 26 and lead the Gamecocks to a 64-49 national championship win that certified the career of star player and junior Aliyah Boston (11 points, 16 rebounds) as well as everyone else on the South Carolina roster.

For Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley it marked a second national title. WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson, who led the program to the first in 2017, was in attendance and thrilled at the outcome.

South Carolina won the battle on the boards 49-24.

Bueckers made an incredible mid-range shot off one leg to cut the Huskies’ deficit to seven with 1:05 remaining in the first half. It was a signature play for her and epitomized the feeling that not all hope was lost…

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