South Carolina stuns undefeated UConn, UCLA punches ticket to first NCAA Championship

Gamecocks and Bruins set to meet in Women's NCAA Championship

PHOENIX (KYMA) - It was a night to remember for South Carolina Gamecock fans after they stunned undefeated UConn 62-48, setting up a date with UCLA in the National Championship after they downed Texas 51-44 on Friday night in the Women's Final Four at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

South Carolina 62, UConn 48

South Carolina pulled away in the second half to knock off UConn behind a balanced offensive performance and strong rebounding.

Ta'Niya Latson led the Gamecocks with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Agot Makeer added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench. Joyce Edwards chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds for South Carolina.

The Huskies kept the game close throughout most of the game, cutting the deficit to one point in the third quarter after a 3-pointer from Azzi Fudd. But South Carolina's defense and interior play proved too much down the stretch.

Sarah Strong paced UConn with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Ashlynn Shade added 10 points. Fudd finished with eight points but struggled from the field, shooting 3 of 15.

Despite the loss, UConn players reflected on the strong bond built throughout the season.

"These are not just my teammates, they’re my sisters," guard Blanca Quiñonez said. "They've been with me since I got here and I'm just so proud of everybody."

Guard KK Arnold echoed that sentiment.

“It’s a close bond we’ve had,” Arnold said. “Just how close the sisterhood was and the opportunities that were right in front of us. Being around them makes life a whole lot easier.”

South Carolina players said the victory carried extra meaning after entering the tournament with something to prove.

"People counted us out from the start," Gamecocks forward Maryam Dauda said. "We were treated differently being the fourth No. 1 seed. Everybody thought we were going home in the first game playing UConn...but we know what we have and we know where we want to go."

South Carolina's Ayla McDowell said the team never stopped believing in one another, lifting them to a victory over the defending champion and understands that's what they'll have to do to win the championship on Sunday.

"As a team we just had to believe in ourselves," she said. "We believed we'd be here and that's what we did. It's a championship game, you got nothing to lose, the last game of the season, you got to give it your all."

UCLA 51, Texas 44

In the night's second semifinal, UCLA leaned on its defense and interior presence to hold off Texas.

Lauren Betts led the Bruins with a 16 point, 11 rebound double-double, anchoring UCLA's offense in the paint. Kiki Rice added 11 points and five rebounds, while Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens each scored 10.

Meanwhile, Longhorns leader Madison Booker played arguably the worst game of her career, only cashing in six points on 3-of-23 from the field, leading to Texas shooting 31% throughout the evening.

Kyra Oldacre led the Longhorns with 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Rori Harmon finished with eight points, five assists and four steals.

Texas struggled offensively throughout the night, including a 2-of-9 performance from 3-point range and 2-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Championship set

With the wins, South Carolina and UCLA advance to the national championship game, setting up a showdown between two of the tournament's top teams after a full day of high-level basketball in Phoenix.