The Athletic has live coverage of the women’s Final Four.
TAMPA, Fla. — South Carolina looked like a team vying for its third national championship in four years Friday night, overcoming a sloppy start to pull away from Texas for a 74-57 win in the women’s Final Four. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks will face the winner of the second game between UConn and UCLA in Sunday’s title game.
The Gamecocks (35-3) fell behind early as Texas star Madison Booker lived up to her billing as an All-American and the SEC’s Player of the Year. She hit her first three shots and had an early steal as Texas (35-4) built a 12-7 lead.
It didn’t last in part because Booker couldn’t stay on the court. She picked up a pair of first-quarter fouls and drew another in the second quarter when she tried to go after a 50/50 ball with the Gamecocks’ Tessa Johnson. Booker threw her hands in the air to try to convince the referees, then threw them on her head in disbelief.
Make that THREE 🔥🔥 @tessajohnsonnnn #MarchMadness x #WFinaFour x @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/fHAQWRvLmm
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 5, 2025
The Longhorns outscored South Carolina by 8 in the nine minutes Booker played in the first half, but were outscored by 11 in the 11 minutes she sat out. It was a…
