HARTFORD, Conn. — No. 1 South Carolina secured the program’s first victory in Connecticut over No. 5 UConn on Sunday as the reigning national champion posted an 81-77 victory on national television to remain unbeaten.
Unlike their last meeting in last year’s national title game, where Gamecocks handily defeated the Huskies, 64-49, for their second championship, Sunday’s game was much more competitive. The Huskies led by 11 early, South Carolina went ahead by 12 late, then UConn battled back to keep it within two possessions in the closing minutes amid an atmosphere that South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called “national championship-like.”
“It was a great atmosphere,” South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, the reigning national player of the year, said about the crowd of 15,564, the first sellout at the XL Center since 2017. “It almost felt like we were back in the tournament. I just feel like there were just so many people and a big crowd which is really, really nice.”
Staley concurred.
“It was a great…
