South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley talks to players during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The South Carolina Gamecocks held the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 women's poll all season about as tightly as they play defense every night.
The last test for the No. 1 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament will be the Connecticut Huskies, who produced a lockdown defensive performance of their own against Stanford to reach the national championship.
Aliyah Boston showing who's the boss in the paint, and Paige Bueckers slithering around the perimeter. Dawn Staley on one bench, and Geno Auriemma on the other. South against North.
Women's college basketball gets the greats of the game together on the biggest stage as consistently as any sport, and this South Carolina-UConn matchup will be no different.
The Gamecocks (34-2) toppled Louisville 72-59 in the first semifinal at Target Center on Friday night, behind 23 points and 18 rebounds from Boston, the newly minted AP Player of the Year.
'œWith the awards, I'm really blessed, but my main focus is bringing home a national championship,'ť Boston said. 'œI'm just really locked in on that.'ť
After missing a close-range putback at the buzzer in a one-point loss to Stanford in the Final Four last season, Boston bounced right back this year.
'œWe knew this was a new team," Boston said. 'œWe have a lot more depth.'ť
The Gamecocks have been a team on a mission.
'œIt's a relief right now, and it feels great. But we're going to take in this moment, and we're not done yet, so we still have unfinished business,'ť said Destanni Henderson, who hit three 3-pointers on Friday.
UConn (30-5) took care of the defending champion Cardinal, outlasting Stanford 63-58 in the second game. Bueckers had 14 points, five assists and two steals in her hometown to help get Auriemma back to the title game for the first time since 2016.
'œPoints are hard to come by in this tournament, and today was certainly no different,'ť Auriemma said. 'œWe're going to have to win some other way.'ť
Bueckers and her teammates huddled at midcourt in celebration once the buzzer sounded, most of them holding up index fingers as they shouted, 'œOne more!'ť at each other in anticipation of the next - and last game - of this nothing-comes-easy season. Eight UConn players had to miss at least two games this season with injury or illness.
These Huskies, the only No. 2 seed in this Final Four, might have overachieved a little, as strange as that sounds for such a dynastic program.
'œComing in, I don't think we're the best team there. I don't think we can win even if we play our '~A' game. We need help. We need Stanford to not play their best game. We need them to miss shots they normally make,'ť Auriemma said.
UConn has never lost in the NCAA final, sporting a staggering 11-0 record in national championships. The four straight titles the Huskies won from 2013-16 was a streak interrupted by none other than South Carolina in 2017, when UConn lost to Mississippi State on an overtime buzzer-beater in the Final Four.
The Gamecocks' only championship came five years ago.
However, South Carolina beat UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas in November, pulling away from the Huskies in the fourth quarter with that stifling defense.
And nobody will have more of the spotlight Sunday than Bueckers, the smooth-shooting, lightning-quick sophomore guard. She grew up in a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis and grew her game at Hopkins High School, just 10 miles west of the arena that's sold out this weekend with crowds of more than 18,000.
'œIt doesn't really matter the location,'ť said Bueckers, who missed nearly three months this season to a left knee injury. 'œWe're just trying to win and keep playing with this team.'ť
For Bueckers, who last year became the first freshman to win the Player of the Year award, this stretch run has been all about getting back up to speed after a long layoff. Twice in the fourth quarter, she grimaced and gingerly walked around after hard landings, but there's no way that knee - even if it's not 100% - will keep her from going all out for the title.
'œEverybody is going to lay it on the line,'ť Bueckers said, 'œand that's just basketball."
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More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
UConn's Aaliyah Edwards, Christyn Williams and Evina Westbrook celebrate after a college basketball game against Stanford in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. UConn won 63-58 to advance to the finals. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Associated Press
The South Carolina bench reacts after the second half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. South Carolina won 72-59 to advance to the finals. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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UConn cheerleaders celebrate after a college basketball game against Stanford in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. UConn won 63-58 to advance to the finals. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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South Carolina's Aliyah Boston cheers from the bench in the final seconds of the second half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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Stanford's Haley Jones shoots past UConn's Aaliyah Edwards during the second half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. UConn won 63-58 to advance to the finals. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts during the second half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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UConn's Paige Bueckers reacts as she heads to the bench during the second half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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UConn's Christyn Williams grabs a rebound in front of Stanford's Lacie Hull during the second half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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UConn's Nika Muhl is congratulated by Paige Bueckers after a score during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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UConn's Aaliyah Edwards grabs the ball during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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UConn's Evina Westbrook grabs a ball in front of Stanford's Francesca Belibi during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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South Carolina's Destanni Henderson tries to get past Louisville's Kianna Smith during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso and Louisville's Emily Engstler go after a loose ball during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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South Carolina's Aliyah Boston drives pasr Louisville's Olivia Cochran during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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Louisville's Emily Engstler tries to get past South Carolina's Aliyah Boston during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Louisville players line up during the national anthem during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament against South Carolina Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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Players take the court before the start of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament between Louisville and South Carolina Friday, April 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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