South Carolina was underregarded in this field of four powerhouses because so many people thought this was Connecticut\u2019s title to lose. Turns out it might be the Gamecocks\u2019, who will make their third straight appearance in the NCAA title game after defeating previously unbeaten UConn<\/a>, the No. 1 overall seed, 62-48.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really don\u2019t get these opportunities very often. You don\u2019t. So you got to meet the moment,\u201d South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley<\/a> told reporters after her team outscored the Huskies 38-22 in the second half. \u201cYou see [our] players, [and] they just have a different look. When they have it, it gives you confidence to know that they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know some players that you\u2019ve got question marks about whether they\u2019re ready to meet the moment. I didn\u2019t have any of that with Ta\u2019Niya [Latson]. Didn\u2019t have any of that with Raven [Johnson]. Joyce [Edwards], none of that.\u201d<\/p>\n A heated moment<\/a> between Staley and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma would not diminish what South Carolina accomplished against a Huskies squad that included consensus national player of the year Sarah Strong<\/a> and first-team All-American Azzi Fudd<\/a>.<\/p>\n On this day, it was the Huskies stars who seemed to be struggling under the pressure.<\/p>\n For Connecticut, taking an unbeaten team into the Final Four might have been too much perfection for a stage where you have to play through imperfect moments. And the Huskies didn\u2019t handle it well enough to win.<\/p>\n Fudd\u2019s 3-for-15 shooting was not a reflection on her stellar career or the resilience she has shown in coming back from injury to live up to the expectations that she would be one of the best players in the country. But Fudd has a lot on her plate, being a nationally recognizable face backed by lucrative name, image and likeness deals and trying to carry a team to a second straight national title in her final season. (Her face even hovers on a Nike digital billboard over the block in front of Mortgage Matchup Center.)<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I let the team down today,\u201d Fudd told reporters.<\/p>\n She added, \u201cObviously, this isn\u2019t how I wanted my career at UConn to end. These five years, I have so much to be grateful for. \u2026 This game, like I said, not how we wanted it to end. But it doesn\u2019t define us.\u201d<\/p>\n Strong had 12 points and 12 rebounds in a game where she shot 4-for-16 from the floor and went more than 30 minutes without a field goal. It was less than what her team needed against a physical, balanced South Carolina team. That\u2019s a lot of weight on a barely 20-year-old.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s Auriemma. The Huskies coach blistered the officiating and Staley in a startling in-game interview with ESPN\u2019s Holly Rowe to open the fourth quarter. He accused Staley of saying inappropriate things to the officials and vented about South Carolina\u2019s physicality and the disparity in foul calls.<\/p>\n Then, with less than a second on the clock, Auriemma barked at Staley during their postgame handshake, and Staley responded in kind. The two giants of the game needed to be separated by their coaching staffs.<\/p>\n Auriemma would double down in his postgame press conference, indicating his unhappiness that Staley did not shake his hand at half court before the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI said what I said. And obviously she didn\u2019t like it. I just told the truth,\u201d Auriemma said.<\/p>\n That exchange threatened to overshadow an impressive South Carolina win and his own team\u2019s disappointment in a tough loss. To put it simply, it wasn\u2019t a good look for college basketball\u2019s winningest coach. How much Friday\u2019s exchange prompts Auriemma\u2019s reflection will be entirely up to him.<\/p>\n Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women\u2019s Sports Daily Meanwhile, Staley\u2019s team plays on for a shot at a fourth national championship since 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m haunted by 2023,\u201d Staley said, referring to when Iowa upset the Gamecocks in the national semifinals<\/a> in star Aliyah Boston<\/a>\u2019s senior season. \u201cI\u2019m haunted by that particular Final Four because of the players that we had and the season that we were having. It got upended.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, if we ever get the opportunity to be in that position again, which we were today, we\u2019re going to lay it on the line, OK? We\u2019re going to lay it on the line, figure out ways in which to win the game. I thought our kids locked into that.\u201d<\/p>\n When UCLA looked up to see its 13-point lead against Texas cut to 3 with 1:02 to go, the Bruins leaned not into their experience, but into their preparation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do so much mental work. I don\u2019t think a lot of people realize it,\u201d Betts told reporters afterward. \u201cWe\u2019re constantly trying to improve our mental space and our mental toughness. I think it shows our maturity. I know I can count on anybody on this team, regardless of the score. We are going to show up and compete.\u201d<\/p>\n Related reading: How Lauren Betts, irresistible force, wouldn\u2019t let UCLA lose<\/a><\/p>\n Texas junior Madison Booker<\/a>, one of the best players in the country, had an uncharacteristic night, shooting 3-for-23 from the floor. At one point, she missed 18 straight shots. Texas was held to a season-low 6 points in the first quarter and fought to generate any offensive flow for most of the game.<\/p>\n Senior guard Rori Harmon<\/a> spoke about advice she once got from Hall of Fame broadcaster Debbie Antonelli.<\/p>\n \u201cShe told me that it\u2019s not pressure, it\u2019s opportunity,\u201d Harmon told reporters. \u201cObviously after this loss, you\u2019re pretty upset and hurt and really angry. I had my moment after the game. I was really mad. I think that\u2019s valid. We\u2019re very human. We had a whole season and we fought really hard and it was really aggressive. We had a lot of adversity.<\/p>\n \u201cBut when [head coach Vic Schaefer] listed the stats about the game, all we had to do was make a shot. We had really good looks. Unfortunately it just wasn\u2019t our day. I think the team looks at me and looks at how I\u2019m able to respond and keep my composure. I try my best.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a night where the stakes felt as high as they were. Pressure showed up and made itself known. But it always does.<\/p>\n And those who withstood it best on Friday will get another chance to define themselves on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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