Geno Auriemma And Dawn Staley Get Into Confrontation After South Carolina Stuns Uconn

PHOENIX — Ta’Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to hit Connecticut 62-48 connected Friday night, ending nan Huskies’ 54-game winning streak and advancing to nan women’s NCAA tourney title game.

The Gamecocks will look nan victor of Texas and UCLA semifinal connected Sunday for nan title, capping disconnected different March Madness. South Carolina (36-3) will beryllium looking to triumph its 4th nationalist championship. Their different 3 person travel successful nan past decade.

With little than a 2nd remaining successful nan game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma walked crossed nan tribunal to shingle hands pinch Dawn Staley and had an animated speech pinch nan South Carolina coach while pointing to nan floor. Staley yelled backmost astatine him arsenic assistants from some teams separated nan two.

When nan timepiece yet ran out, Auriemma walked consecutive to nan passageway and didn’t shingle hands. The 2 teams did shingle hands.

UConn (38-1) entered nan Final Four undefeated for nan ninth clip successful schoolhouse history and for nan 3rd consecutive clip near without a title. The Huskies besides mislaid successful nan 2017 and 2018 nationalist semifinals. This was nan fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 points successful a nationalist title crippled nonaccomplishment to nan Gamecocks successful 2022.

The Huskies and Gamecocks played past play for nan title and UConn came distant pinch an 82-59 rout for nan school’s 12th nationalist championship. UConn besides hit South Carolina handily during nan 2024-25 regular season.

The teams came into nan crippled arsenic nan second- and third-leading scoring teams successful nan nation, some averaging complete 87 points per game. This was a protect battle.

South Carolina defender Ta’Niya Latson drives successful beforehand of Connecticut defender KK Arnold during nan 2nd half Friday.

(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)

Leading 46-44 a fewer minutes into nan 3rd quarter, South Carolina scored 5 consecutive points, capped by Makeer’s three-pointer to widen nan advantage to seven.

Sarah Strong deed a three-pointer to get nan Huskies backmost wrong 51-47 pinch 4:39 left. The Huskies didn’t people again until Strong deed a free propulsion pinch 30.8 seconds left, aft South Carolina had scored 11 consecutive points.

South Carolina clamped down connected UConn’s 2 stars. Strong, who was honored arsenic nan Associatred Press subordinate of nan twelvemonth connected Thursday, had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but went 4 for 16 from nan field. Azzi Fudd had conscionable 8 points for nan Huskies, making only 3 of 15 shots.

UConn had its worst shooting nighttime of nan play finishing 19 for 61 (31.1%) from nan field.

Trailing 26-24 astatine nan half, South Carolina opened nan 3rd 4th pinch a 12-2 tally to return nan lead. The Gamecocks extended nan advantage to 40-30 — nan biggest shortage nan Huskies’ had faced this season.

UConn, which missed 10 of its first 11 three-point attempts, past started to get basking from nan field, hitting 3 consecutive three-pointers, nan past by Fudd to get wrong 40-39. The All-America defender had missed 7 of her first 8 shots arsenic she was blanketed by South Carolina’s defense.

South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson scored nan last 4 points of nan 4th to make it 44-39.

South Carolina guards Tessa Johnson, right, and Agot Makeer observe aft defeating Connecticut successful nan Final Four connected Friday.

(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)

Both teams had cruised to nan Final Four, each winning successful nan first 4 rounds of nan tourney easily. The Huskies had been seldom challenged each play long, routing their Big East opponents by grounds margins.

Facing their first existent trial successful a agelong time, they had nary answer.

The opening 20 minutes was afloat of missed shots and turnovers. The 2 teams mixed to sprout 22 for 62 from nan section (35.4%) and had 14 turnovers.

There were dozens of erstwhile Huskies and Gamecocks players successful nan crowd, including Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston. Boston was sitting adjacent to Flavor Flav, who is simply a immense protagonist of women’s sports.