Women’s Final Four: How UConn, South Carolina reached title game

TAMPA, Fla. — Sunday’s national championship matchup is set. The South Carolina Gamecocks will face the UConn Huskies at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

It’s a rematch from the regular season. The Huskies routed the Gamecocks 87-58 on Feb. 16 in Columbia, South Carolina, snapping the Gamecocks’ 71-game home win streak.

It’s also a rematch of the 2022 NCAA title game in Minneapolis. South Carolina won that matchup, marking Geno Auriemma’s first loss in the championship game.

We tracked all the action Friday as South Carolina beat Texas and UConn upended No. 1 overall seed UCLA. Check out our analysis and first look at the NCAA title game.

Jump to results and analysis: UConn-UCLA | South Carolina-Texas

Final: No. 2 UConn 85, No. 1 UCLA 51

How UConn beat UCLA: The Huskies took control of this game from the start with their offense, defense and experience. The first half was the Azzi Fudd show, as the UConn guard had 19 points in helping the Huskies to a 42-22 halftime lead.

UCLA struggled to work the ball into the players it wanted to get touches, and UConn had 9 steals in the first half. Bruins coach Cori Close kept imploring her team to get up the court quicker, to pass more crisply and to not give Fudd so many open looks.

Then things didn’t get any better in the second half for the Bruins, who finish the season at 34-3. Even though Fudd didn’t score after halftime, it didn’t hurt UConn at all. That’s because freshman Sarah Strong proved just as lethal; she scored 14 points in the second half and finished with 22 to lead the Huskies.

Paige Bueckers didn’t shoot at her usual efficiency — 7 of 17 from the field — but she still finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, including a beautiful touch pass to teammate Kaitlyn Chen on a second-quarter fast break that will make highlight reels.

The No. 1 factor that helped UConn reach Sunday’s title game: The Huskies’ defense reduced UCLA to mostly a one-person threat on offense. Center Lauren Betts had 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 5 rebounds. But the rest of the Bruins were 9 of 34 from the field, and none scored in double figures. The experience that UConn as a program and players like Bueckers individually have in the Final Four showed on Friday. The Huskies looked comfortable, like this was just another game for them to show their stuff.

The Bruins, by contrast, seemed rattled and uncertain, not looking like the team that was ranked No. 1 for longer than any other program this season. But unless there are transfers or other departures, UCLA could bring back all of its players and make another run at the Final Four next year. This experience, painful as it was to be blown out in the national semifinals, could help that quest.

What is UConn’s key in the championship game: The Huskies will face South Carolina in a rematch of the 2022 NCAA final won by the Gamecocks. South Carolina went into that game a favorite, but UConn — despite being a No. 2 seed — is likely considered the favorite Sunday. That’s in part because of what UConn did to the Gamecocks when they met in Columbia, South Carolina, on Feb. 16 in an 86-58 victory.

Despite that result, Sunday should be what neither of Friday’s semifinals were: a close game. The Huskies will need their big three of Bueckers, Fudd and Strong to keep doing what they’ve done all tournament: control the pace and momentum. — Michael Voepel

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Azzi Fudd dominates with 19 points for UConn in first half

Azzi Fudd drops 19 points in UConn’s dominant first half vs. UCLA.

An emotional Betts exits

An emotional Lauren Betts just checked out of the game for UCLA. She bent over crying at the end of the bench before taking a seat and putting a towel over her face. Just named the Lisa Leslie Award winner as the country’s top center, she finished with 26 points and 5 rebounds. — Katie Barnes

UConn pulling away as Betts lone bright spot for UCLA

UConn’s lead now is 72-43 with 4:15 left. Lauren Betts is up to 23 points for UCLA, but no other Bruins have reached double figures. — Michael Voepel

Stat fact: Sarah Strong is in elite company

Sarah Strong is the third freshman in UConn history with at least 20 points in a Final Four game.

Maya Moore did it in the 2008 semifinal against Stanford (20 points) and Breanna Stewart did it in the semis (29) and championship (23) in 2013. — ESPN Research

One more period to play

The smallest momentum that UCLA gets is shut down almost immediately. The Huskies lead 60-37 at the end of the third quarter. UConn didn’t get any points from Azzi Fudd in the third quarter, but didn’t need any. Freshman Sarah Strong had 10 points and senior Paige Bueckers had 6 points in the quarter for the Huskies, who appear well on their way to a championship game matchup with South Carolina. — Michael Voepel

UCLA fans feeling the pain

Even when things look like they are going right for UCLA, it just isn’t panning out. After getting UConn deep into the shot clock and forcing a Paige Bueckers miss, the ball bounced around and landed with the Huskies. As Sarah Strong hit a 3-pointer to make it a 53-29 UConn lead, I heard a UCLA fan screaming “NOOOO.” The despondence is palpable. — Katie Barnes

Offensive struggles continue for Bruins

UConn is up 50-28 with 4:54 left in the third quarter. Again, nothing outside of Lauren Betts is working offensively for UCLA, which is 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Betts is 7 of 13 from the field; the rest of the Bruins are 5 of 19. — Michael Voepel

Halftime: UConn 42, UCLA 22

Most everything they have wanted has gone the UConn Huskies’ way in the first half. Azzi Fudd leads all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Sarah Strong has 8 points and Paige Bueckers 6.

Center Lauren Betts has been the only big threat offensively for UCLA; she has 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. This is the Bruins’ lowest halftime total of the season; the previous low was 25.

The Bruins are shooting 41.7% (10 of 24). UCLA finished 9-for-15 in the paint, 1-for-9 outside of it. UConn is outscoring UCLA by 22 outside the paint.

The Bruins are struggling to move the ball against UConn’s active defense. The Huskies have 9 first-half steals to just 1 for UCLA.

UConn is 64-0 when leading by 15 or more points at halftime in the NCAA tournament. So for UCLA to go to the championship game, the Bruins will need to have an epic comeback. — Michael Voepel

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Paige Bueckers drills step-back buzzer-beater for UConn

Paige Bueckers nails the buzzer-beater from midrange to close out the first quarter vs. UCLA.

Close not happy with Bruins’ D on Fudd

UCLA coach Cori Close appears disgusted that Azzi Fudd keeps getting open looks against the Bruins’ defense and knocking them down. Close will have to challenge her team at halftime to do something to slow down Fudd. But that is very difficult. UConn leads 42-22 at halftime, and Fudd has 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. — Michael Voepel

Bueckers to Chen = chef’s kiss

Paige Bueckers just did what I can only describe as a Superman touch pass assist to Kaitlyn Chen to give UConn a 17-point lead with 1:32 left in the first half. Definitely goes in the pantheon of great passes. — Katie Barnes

Bruins work the paint

Almost all of UCLA’s offensive success is coming in the paint. The Bruins are shooting 8-for-12 (67%) in the paint, with 10 of those points coming from Lauren Betts. Bruins trail UConn 32-20 with 4:01 left in the second quarter. — Michael Voepel

Slow start for UCLA

With 4:57 left in the second quarter, UConn leads UCLA 29-17. The fewest points the Bruins have scored in a half this season is 25. They did that twice: in the first half vs. Oregon on Feb. 9 and the second half vs USC on Feb. 13. — Michael Voepel

It’s 11 and counting for Fudd

Azzi Fudd already has 11 points, which is more than she had in the Elite Eight against USC. Fudd started that game 0-for-9, but is 4-for-5 tonight. UConn leads 27-13 with 8:27 to play in the second quarter. — Katie Barnes

Fudd heating up early

After banking in a 3-point shot from the top of the key, Azzi Fudd gave Paige Bueckers a little side-eye look as if to say, “I can’t believe that went in, either.” Azzi has hit her first three shots from the floor and is up to seven points early. — Katie Barnes

Bruins need early adjustments

The Bruins so far have made it too easy for UConn to tip away passes meant for center Lauren Betts. UCLA needs to adjust to how it is getting her the ball. UConn is up 15-10 with 3:05 left in the first quarter of tonight’s second semifinal. — Michael Voepel

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South Carolina finishes off Texas to advance to title game

South Carolina takes down Texas to reach its third national championship game in four years.

South Carolina-Texas results and live analysis

Final: South Carolina 74, Texas 57

How South Carolina beat Texas: There’s a line in “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green about falling asleep: that it first happens slowly, and then all at once. That pretty much sums up what the Gamecocks did to Texas over the course of the game. South Carolina chipped away at Texas’ early lead after getting All-American Madison Booker into foul trouble. Despite the early start from Texas, the Gamecocks limited their mistakes, got stops and hit shots. It’s a simple formula, but South Carolina outscored Texas 20-9 in the third quarter to open a 14-point lead and never looked back. Texas coach Vic Schaefer pulled Booker halfway through the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks poured it on. Slowly, and then all at once.

The No. 1 factor that helped South Carolina reach Sunday’s title game? South Carolina built a 14-point lead by the end of the third quarter, in part by feasting on paint points and easy buckets. The Gamecocks finished the game with 40 points in the paint and 15 fast-break points. They were 14-for-26 on layups. Joyce Edwards had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

In addition to scoring inside, South Carolina outrebounded Texas 36-28. The Gamecocks had their way inside, and then shot 63.6% from 3-point range to boot. It’s tough to win when South Carolina is doing that.

South Carolina’s key in the championship game? Bench production. After a rough performance against Duke that saw Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson combine for nine points on 4-for-14 shooting, they showed up big for the Gamecocks. Those three combined for 29 points Friday and just three turnovers. Against Duke, the nine bench points were a season low, but it was a different story in Tampa. No matter who South Carolina faces, if the bench shows up, especially Fulwiley, Johnson and Edwards, the Gamecocks will have a great shot at successfully defending their title. — Katie Barnes

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Joyce Edwards gets layup to go for South Carolina

Joyce Edwards punishes a Texas turnover with a powerful run to the rim for a South Carolina layup.

Hugs for Holle

Shay Holle, the all-time winningest player in Texas women’s basketball history, was in tears as she came off the floor for the last time, knowing her season and career are about to come to an end. Her teammates rushed to give her a hug. — Andrea Adelson

Gamecocks showing off the depth that got them here

All nine players who have gotten into the game for South Carolina have scored. This is the version of the Gamecocks that is so difficult to guard, even for an excellent defensive team like Texas. It’s so hard to scheme against that. Plus, the Gamecocks’ defense is very confident — they are making everything a chore for Texas. This game has looked a lot like the two wins South Carolina got against Texas earlier this season: by 17 points in Columbia, South Carolina, in January and by 19 in the SEC tournament final in Greenville, South Carolina, in March. — Michael Voepel

Edwards in rare company

Joyce Edwards is the second freshman in Final Four history with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a game, joining Maryland’s Marissa Coleman (2006). — Alexa Philippou

What slump?

South Carolina freshman Joyce Edwards said Thursday that she hadn’t been in any slumps in her young basketball career. So the three subpar scoring performances heading into the Final Four were uncharacteristic for her. But she seemed confident that she would get over that and play well in the national semifinals. She has done just that tonight. — Michael Voepel

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A’ja Wilson loves what she sees from South Carolina

A’ja Wilson gets excited in the crowd for Tessa Johnson’s bucket for South Carolina vs. Texas.

Edwards stepping up for Gamecocks

Joyce Edwards might have had a quiet start to the NCAA tournament, but tonight she looks like the version of herself we saw earlier this year. She’s up to a team-high 12 points for the Gamecocks, while adding 10 boards, 4 assists and 1 steal. South Carolina is up 14, and she’s a big reason why. — Alexa Philippou

South Carolina pulling away

Indeed, Texas only has six points in the third quarter — and South Carolina has found a way to build its lead with easy buckets in the paint — including that last layup from Joyce Edwards, who is having her best NCAA tournament game since the opening round. South Carolina has 32 paint points so far in the game. — Andrea Adelson

Advantage, South Carolina?

The Longhorns are in danger of letting this game get away from them. Coach Vic Schaefer just sat down in a huff after back-to-back offensive possessions before calling a timeout. South Carolina has opened a 13-point lead and feels on the cusp of running Texas out of the gym. — Katie Barnes

Paopao powers South Carolina

Senior Te-Hina Paopao has made so many timely plays this game. She’s up to 11 points on perfect shooting from the field (4-for-4 from field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers). And that steal and score felt particularly huge, giving the Gamecocks their first double-digit lead of the night. — Alexa Philippou

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Te-Hina Paopao’s 3 gives South Carolina first lead of game

Te-Hina Paopao cashes a 3 to give South Carolina their first lead of the game vs. Texas.

Halftime analysis: South Carolina 38, Texas 35

Somehow, despite Madison Booker playing just 9 minutes in the first half and having three fouls, Texas is not out of this game. South Carolina came back from being down eight in the first quarter and the Gamecocks look formidable. But if you told me Booker would have played less than a quarter of game time in the first half and Texas only trailed by three, I would have been shocked. Jordan Lee has been a huge bright spot for the Longhorns, filling the offensive gap left by Booker with 10 points.

South Carolina has gotten 18 of its 38 points from its bench, already surpassing a season low nine total bench points against Duke in the Elite Eight. — Katie Barnes

Gamecocks lead = Gamecocks win?

Entering tonight, South Carolina has won 103 consecutive games when leading at halftime, the longest active streak in Division I. Its last such loss was March 6, 2022, in the SEC tournament versus Kentucky. Gamecocks lead 38-35 heading into the break. — Alexa Philippou

Booker whistled for third foul with 2:29 left in second quarter, Texas up 33-31

And Madison Booker is now back out after picking up her third foul with 2:29 left before halftime — the first time in her career she has three fouls in the first half of a game. She and Vic Schaefer could be heard telling the official, “That’s a bad call!” — Andrea Adelson

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Texas moves the ball around for Madison Booker midrange jumper

Texas move the ball quickly and get it to Madison Booker who hits another midrange jump shot vs. South Carolina.

Booker checks back in

Madison Booker is back in the game for the Longhorns. She sat for 8:03 with those two fouls, and Texas was outscored 20-14 over that span. — Alexa Philippou

Texas leads 28-27, 4:33 left in second quarter

Chloe Kitts had been playing her best basketball going back to the SEC tournament, but after picking up an early foul, she has been limited to 6 minutes and has not attempted a shot. What’s more she’s got two turnovers. Her production was huge in helping South Carolina come from behind to beat Indiana and Duke. Something to keep an eye on as the game progresses. — Andrea Adelson

Gamecocks bench looks better than it did in Birmingham

Another key to watch: The South Carolina bench. Joyce Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley are playing much better than they did against Duke, with a combined 11 points in the first quarter to key the comeback. In fact, South Carolina had 14 total bench points in the first quarter, more than the season-low nine they scored vs Duke. — Andrea Adelson

Longhorns pouring on the points

Texas’ 19 points in the first quarter are its most in any quarter versus South Carolina this season. — Alexa Philippou

Texas leads 19-18 after the first quarter

My goodness. What a play from Joyce Edwards as the Gamecocks snag the momentum back following an eight-point deficit. Texas led 12-7 when Madison Booker subbed out with two fouls. Texas is up 19-18 as we head to the second frame. — Alexa Philippou

Overheard on the Texas bench

Just heard Vic Schaefer say to his bench, “I didn’t know she had a foul or else I’d take her out,” presumably about Madison Booker. — Alexa Philippou

Booker picks up second foul

Joyce Edwards just held up two fingers after that play — she knows that Tessa Johnson just picked up Madison Booker’s second foul and how huge that is for Texas. — Alexa Philippou

Texas clicking on both ends

As Andrea pointed out, the Texas defense is doing what it does best, but what’s extra notable is in the early going, the offense is clicking as well. Madison Booker has hit her first three shots and is already up to 6 points. The Longhorns are shooting 62.5% from the field in the first five minutes. — Katie Barnes

Texas dominating

Texas has taken it to South Carolina in every aspect of this game, and is playing with far more energy in the early going. South Carolina has had slow starts previously, but not like this. Texas’ D has held South Carolina to 2-of-8 shooting and already forced four turnovers — Andrea Adelson

South Carolina in an early hole

This eight-point deficit for South Carolina matches its largest of the tournament. The Gamecocks also trailed by that many versus Indiana. — Alexa Philippou