No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball held off No. 5 UConn 81-77 on Sunday in a rematch of the 2022 NCAA title game, remaining undefeated at 23-0 on the season. Here’s what you need to know:
- UConn (21-3), which took its first home loss of the year, came out swinging with a 25-point first quarter but was held to just nine points in the second frame. South Carolina led by as many as 12 points midway through the fourth.
- Gamecocks star forward Aliyah Boston led all players with 26 points, adding 11 rebounds, while center Kamilla Cardoso poured in 17 points with 11 rebounds off the bench. Forward Aaliyah Edwards led UConn with 25 points.
- The Huskies turned the ball over 13 times to the Gamecocks’ six. South Carolina out-rebounded UConn 42 to 30.
Backstory
South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley defeated UConn 64-49 to win the 2022 championship and hand Huskies coach Geno Auriemma his first title game loss in 12 attempts. Boston, the national player of the year, had 11 points and 16 rebounds in the win and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Game.
The final averaged 4.85 million total viewers — combined audience across linear and streaming platforms — with 4.46 million viewers in primetime on ESPN. The 4.85 million viewers made it the most-watched college…
