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MINNEAPOLIS — The South Carolina Gamecocks and UConn Huskies received Friday within the girls’s Remaining 4 to advance to Sunday’s nationwide championship sport (Eight p.m. ET, ESPN).
In a nonconference sport on Nov. 22 this season, the Gamecocks beat the Huskies 73-57 in a 1-2 showdown within the Battle Four Atlantis within the Bahamas.
UConn is again within the NCAA title sport for the primary time since 2016 after eliminating the defending champion Stanford Cardinal 63-58.
It is UConn’s 12th look within the title sport; the 11-time nationwide champion Huskies have by no means misplaced within the championship. UConn snapped a four-game shedding streak within the nationwide semifinals. UConn sophomore Paige Bueckers, a Minneapolis native, scored 14 factors to guide UConn.
Haley Jones had 20 factors and 11 rebounds for Stanford (32-4), which had received 24 consecutive video games.
Earlier Friday, the Gamecocks beat the Louisville Cardinals 72-59 in a battle of No. 1 seeds. Aliyah Boston had 23 factors and 18 rebounds for her 29th double-double this season. The consensus nationwide participant of the yr led the Gamecocks to the nationwide championship sport a yr after a heartbreaking one-point loss within the semifinals.
South Carolina advances to its second NCAA title sport. Of their solely different look, the Gamecocks received the 2017 NCAA title.
ESPN’s Katie Barnes, Charlie Creme and Alexa Philippou break down the Remaining 4 and take a fast look forward on the title sport.
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UConn’s Evina Westbrook exhibits off her vary as she sinks back-to-back 3-pointers within the second quarter.
Stanford shot 34.8% from the sphere, 4-for-23 on 3-pointers, struggled to attain within the paint and shot 11-of-26 on uncontested pictures. What did UConn do defensively to trigger Stanford’s offensive woes — or did the Cardinal simply have an off capturing night time?
Barnes: Each groups struggled from the sphere for a lot of the sport, however UConn clamped down defensively. The Huskies blended up their defensive seems early on with a zone, and matched up with the Cardinal for a lot of the sport. That grew to become a significantly harder activity as a number of UConn gamers received into foul bother, together with Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards. With Dorka Juhasz out with a fractured wrist, UConn went with a four-guard lineup, utilizing Evina Westbrook and Nika Muhl off the bench. Along with Edwards and Nelson-Ododa, freshman guard Azzi Fudd sat practically the whole second quarter out with two fouls. The foul bother didn’t reduce each methods early within the sport, although the hole closed late as Stanford started to foul to cease the clock.
However crucially, Stanford could not purchase a basket. The Cardinal shot simply 34.8% from the sphere and 17.4% from past the arc, hampering their skill to capitalize off the early foul discrepancy and the Huskies’ 19 turnovers. These UConn errors stored Stanford within the sport. UConn beat Stanford on the boards, out-rebounding the Cardinal 45-36, which in the end determined this sport.
UConn’s seniors all stepped up at varied factors. How did they play a job within the Huskies’ win?
Barnes: Westbrook got here off the bench within the second quarter and stored the Huskies afloat with a small lead by draining three 3s. Then, within the fourth quarter, Nelson-Ododa made a few key baskets down low, getting fouls known as on the Stanford bigs, notably Cameron Brink. Christyn Williams shot simply 3-for-13 from the sphere, however hit a vital 3, and her two free throws of the sport gave UConn a 4 level lead with below 11 seconds left.
This group of seniors have been in head coach Geno Auriemma’s canine home not simply this season, however over the course of their careers. However with the sport and the season on the road, they stepped as much as get the Huskies to their first nationwide championship sport since 2016. By the way, Geno Auriemma has by no means misplaced a championship closing.
What was the difference-making stat in UConn’s win?
Creme: The numbers that almost all impacted this sport can all be pulled from Stanford’s field rating. The three-point capturing that was a energy for the Cardinal all season, however was not good in Spokane (23.8%), was a catastrophe on Friday night time. The seems have been there. The outcomes weren’t. Stanford’s Four of 23 night time from behind the arc was the type of capturing it simply couldn’t overcome.
Tara VanDerveer additionally mentioned throughout her in-game interview that her staff wasn’t transferring the ball shortly sufficient. The Cardinal solely had 10 assists, tied for his or her second-lowest whole of the season.
What’s your first impression of the NCAA closing matchup, and what’s going to resolve the 2022 champion?
Creme: The Gamecocks and Huskies have been imagined to play a second time this season, on Jan. 27. However the sport was canceled as South Carolina prioritized making up an SEC sport that was postponed by COVID-19.
The Huskies’ energy is their backcourt: Bueckers, Fudd, Williams. South Carolina’s energy is its frontcourt: Boston, Kamilla Cardoso, Victaria Saxton.
It’d come right down to which staff will get essentially the most out of its least dominant place group. That can be the place UConn’s bigs are so essential.
Nelson-Ododa and Edwards have been productive within the match, and greater than held their very own in opposition to Stanford’s dimension. They would be the key in opposition to South Carolina. When the 2 groups met in November, the 2 totaled simply 12 factors and 6 rebounds, and the Huskies received pounded on the glass, 42-25. Boston put up 22 factors and 15 rebounds. She has an uncanny skill to get opponents’ publish gamers in foul bother along with her mixture of energy and agility. With Juhasz unavailable, neither Nelson-Ododa nor Edwards can get saddled with fouls. With both off the court docket, Boston will probably dominate. If that occurs, this sport will look just like the one in November. South Carolina can have a second nationwide championship and hand UConn its first loss in a nationwide title sport.
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South Carolina advances to the Nationwide Championship sport behind Aliyah Boston’s 23-point, 18-rebound double-double.
How South Carolina beat Louisville
South Carolina, the wire-to-wire No. 1-ranked staff this season, notched its fourth victory over an AP Prime-5 opponent this season. The Gamecocks improved to 34-2, matching their single-season file for wins in a season.
Louisville ended the season at 29-5. Senior ahead Emily Engstler led the Cardinals with 18 factors, 9 rebounds and 4 steals. Engstler completed the match with 23 steals, matching Ticha Penicheiro’s single-tournament file set in 1998.
South Carolina responded each time Louisville made a run. What have been the massive changes the Gamecocks made to beat the Cardinals?
Creme: Boston. At any time when South Carolina wants one thing large, it is all the time Boston. The Gamecocks have been in full management with a 15-point lead within the third quarter, then received free with the ball. The guards dedicated 4 turnovers, and there have been a few missed layups. Louisville received inside six, and all of the sudden it was a sport once more. Then Boston did her factor. In a 30-second stretch that bled into the fourth quarter, Boston scored 5 factors and grabbed 4 offensive rebounds. She took over the paint and the backboards, and the lead ballooned again to 11. Louisville by no means threatened once more.
Hailey Van Lith scored 20 factors in all 4 of Louisville’s NCAA match video games heading into the Remaining 4, however by no means received going Friday, with simply two factors within the first half. How did South Carolina disrupt her?
Barnes: Brea Beal received on Hailey Van Lith early, disrupting every little thing the Louisville sophomore tried to do. Beal, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, blocked two of Van Lith’s early shot makes an attempt, turning these into scoring alternatives for South Carolina. Beal is a stellar defender, however her dimension and size additionally pressured a smaller Van Lith to make extra changes to get round her. And as a smaller guard — Van Lith is listed at 5-foot-7 — South Carolina’s dimension within the lane and Beal’s on the perimeter merely stifled all ranges of her sport. Van Lith could not actually get into the paint; she could not get a pull-up jumper going; and she or he tried three 3-point pictures all sport (all coming late within the fourth quarter). Van Lith competed laborious till she was pulled from the sport, however South Carolina efficiently annoyed her early, and she or he by no means recovered.
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With heartbreak nonetheless current from the 2021 Remaining 4 loss, Aliyah Boston explains how South Carolina dug deep and earned a championship bid.
What was the difference-making stat?
Philippou: Neither of those groups likes to take 3-pointers like, say, Creighton does, however Louisville hitting only one trey — and trying solely eight pictures from behind the arc the whole sport, together with three within the closing minute! — whereas South Carolina had made 5 by halfway via the third quarter was a difference-maker.
Coming into the sport, Louisville averaged six made 3-pointers on 17 makes an attempt from deep per sport; the truth that they tried simply 5 3s going into the ultimate minute is a testomony to how uncomfortable South Carolina’s protection made them. The Gamecocks 35% clip from Three is not tremendous spectacular, however guards Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke began 5-for-10 from the arc, which opened up the sport. If the Gamecocks can hit well timed 3s Sunday like they did Friday, they will be nicely positioned to chop down the nets.
Additionally, it ought to be famous that Beal (12 factors, 5-for-7 capturing) was productive not simply defensively, however offensively, profiting from open pictures granted to her by Louisville’s protection that was too preoccupied with Boston. Beal has now completed with back-to-back video games in double figures for the primary time this season.
What’s one factor South Carolina should do even higher in Sunday’s championship sport?
Barnes: South Carolina did just about every little thing nicely on Friday night time. The one space the place the Gamecocks may stand to enhance is caring for the basketball. South Carolina averages 14.Four turnovers per sport, and the Gamecocks have been above common in opposition to Louisville with 15 turnovers. The Cardinals transformed these further possessions into 13 factors on the opposite finish. Along with the turnovers, there have been stretches when the guards simply appeared careless with the ball — throwing skip passes that hung within the air or attempting to string one too many needles. Not all of these choices resulted in turnovers, however on Sunday, which may not be the case.
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