South Carolina gets revenge on UConn in Final Four upset

PHOENIX–During summer workouts, South Carolina Gamecocks The score in their 2025 national title game loss was yukon huskies Displayed on screen: UConn 82, South Carolina 59. That extra reminder motivated the Gamecocks to work during the offseason to get back to the Final Four stage — and ensured a different outcome.

The Gamecocks avenged last season’s loss in spectacular fashion.

South Carolina defeated the previously undefeated Huskies 62-48 on Friday to advance to Sunday’s national championship game. They will play the winner of the other national semifinal matchup between fellow No. 1 seeds UCLA And texas.

South Carolina – which also won championships in 2017, 2022 and 2024 – is one win away from its fourth national title. This accomplishment would make coach Don Staley one of four coaches to win that many titles, along with Geno Auriemma (12), Pat Summitt (eight) and Kim Mulkey (four).

UConn’s streak of 54 consecutive wins the previous season and its bid for a repeat championship were ended. This is the third time Auriemma has taken an undefeated team to the Final Four and missed a national title.

South Carolina won each of its first four games in the NCAA Tournament by at least 25 points, and entered the Final Four with a 16–1 margin, the largest by an SEC team in tournament history and the fourth largest by any team.

But the path was not so easy on Friday. The Gamecocks led by much of the first half and then allowed the Huskies to take a 26–24 lead at the break. A 16–4 start for the Gamecocks coming out of the locker room gave them a good lead, although UConn remained within striking distance.

The Huskies pulled within one late in the third thanks to three consecutive 3-pointers before South Carolina got some breathing room behind four consecutive points. Tessa Johnson To end the quarter. The Gamecocks remained steady in the fourth, turning a two-point lead into a double-digit lead with 1:45 to play and holding UConn to just four points in the final 6:37.

South Carolina outshot the Huskies 47–32 on the glass and held the Huskies to 31% shooting. UConn had not been held under 50 points in any game since losing to South Carolina in the 2022 national championship. This was UConn’s lowest point total in a Final Four game and its fourth double-digit loss in the Final Four.

New agot maker Had a big night with 14 points off the bench. He has scored in double figures in every game in this tournament after playing only three such games before. Tania Latson (16), Joyce Edwards (11) and Johnson (10) joined Maker in double figures.