PHOENIX — Perennial powers South Carolina and UCLA avenged recent setbacks in the semifinals of the NCAA women’s Final Four on Friday.
Each could do it again when they meet in the championship game Sunday afternoon.
UCLA (36-1) broke the Gamecocks’ 43-game winning streak in a 77-62 victory in their last meeting Nov. 24, 2024, when star center Lauren Betts had 11 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks.
“It was one of those games at home where we were really clicking on both sides of the ball,” UCLA coach Cori Close said of the most recent meeting, the Bruins’ only win in the five-game series.
Two seasons prior, South Carolina (36-3) beat the Bruins twice, the second time 59-43 in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen on March 25, 2003.
“I’ve been on both sides of that,” Close said. “What I remember is, the team that rebounds the best and defends the best down the stretch won both those games. I don’t think it is probably going to be that different.”
South Carolina is playing for coach Dawn Staley’s fourth national championship, her third in five years, in their sixth straight Final Four.
UCLA coach Cori Close is going for her first. The Bruins have not won in the NCAA era, although they did win the 1978 title while competing in the precursor AIAW. The Bruins are in their second straight Final Four after losing to UConn in the semifinals a year ago.
South Carolina made the finals with a decisive-at-this-level 62-48 victory over tournament No. 1 seed and undefeated UConn, which had beaten the Gamecocks by 23 in the 2025 championship game.
The Gamecocks won the rematch with an aggressive, active defense that limited the Huskies to 31.1% shooting. It was punctuated by a late-game exchange between Staley and UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who issued an apology Saturday for how he “handled the end of the game.”
“For me, no distractions at this time,” Staley said in response. “Concentrating on winning the national championship. That’s it.”
Ta’Niya Latson had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Agot Makeer scored 14 points, and two other Gamecocks scored in double figures against UConn.
Staley would be one of four coaches with four national championships.
“We’re going to be challenged because they are pretty methodical in how they want to cut you apart,” Staley said of UCLA. “They got bigs, they got shooters, they got a point guard that’s super smart.
“They’ve been together. They’re an experienced group that’s used to playing well with each other. They’re battle-tested. We got all of that that we’re up against.”
UCLA advanced with a 51-44 victory over Texas behind 6-foot-7 Betts’ 14th double-double, her blocked shot in the final 18 seconds, and a defense that held the Longhorns to 31% shooting. Texas handed the Bruins its only loss this season in Las Vegas on Nov. 26.
Betts, one of the five Bruins’ senior starters, is averaging 17.2 pointers and 8.7 rebounds.
“She brings about a great challenge,” Staley said. “A couple years ago you could kind of be real physical with her, she would kind of back down a little bit. Now she embraces it, right? Now she welcomes it.
“She can play off of it so well. You have to make a decision whether you’re going to double her, single-cover her, whether you’re going to triple her, then figure out how you’re going to scramble out of that and prioritize who because they can shoot the basketball.”
Kiki Rice (15.1 points), Gabriela Jaquez (13.3), and Gianna Kneepkens (12.8) provide complementary alternatives.
“Against a team like that, it’s going to be about our aggressiveness on both ends of the floor,” Betts said.
–Jack Magruder, Field Level Media
