04/03/26 11:19:00
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04/03 23:18 CDT South Carolina returns to the NCAA championship game in a
showdown with newcomer UCLA
South Carolina returns to the NCAA championship game in a showdown with
newcomer UCLA
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
PHOENIX (AP) --- Dawn Staley and South Carolina are back in a familiar place,
reaching the women's NCAA Tournament 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 the
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. That victory was South Carolina's first title and started the current
run that the Gamecocks have been on over the last decade.
The Bruins have been on a mission this season since losing to UConn in the
Final Four last season. It was the Bruins' first-ever trip to the national
semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. With most of the key players back from that
team and a couple of new additions, UCLA ran through the regular season with
the only loss in November to Texas in a tournament in Las Vegas.
That loss was the only blemish the Bruins had this year, and they cruised to
both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championship.
Now, they'll have a tall test with South Carolina, which put on a defensive
clinic against UConn. The ending of that game was overshadowed by a dust-up
between Staley and UConn coach Geno Auriemma as they were shaking hands with
less than a second left. The two coaches needed to be separated by their
assistants.
Coming into the season Staley wasn't sure about this team as they were dealing
with injuries and trying to work in star transfer Ta'Niya Latson from Florida
State. The country's leading scorer last season while at Florida State just
wanted to have a chance to win a national championship.
"This is why I came to South Carolina. It was a personal sacrifice that I had
to make. I mean, I know a lot of people don't get that, they don't understand
my why," said Latson. "This is my why. This is why I came to South Carolina."
Cori Close and her team will try and hang a championship banner to go with the
one the school won by taking the 1978 AIAW title, which was the postseason
tournament for women's basketball before the NCAA took over in 1982.
The Bruins are a veteran team, even though they have no championship game
experience. UCLA's starting five, led by center Lauren Betts, are all seniors
or graduates.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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