UConn-South Carolina Title Tilt Packs Plenty of Star Power | Sports News

By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Athletics Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The South Carolina Gamecocks held the prime spot in the Related Push Best 25 women’s poll all time about as tightly as they engage in protection each and every night.

The previous examination for the No. 1 total seed in this year’s NCAA Event will be the Connecticut Huskies, who manufactured a lockdown defensive functionality of their individual to attain the nationwide championship.

Aliyah Boston displaying who’s the boss in the paint, and Paige Bueckers slithering close to the perimeter. Dawn Staley on just one bench, and Geno Auriemma on the other. South in opposition to North.

Women’s university basketball receives the greats of the video game together on the most significant stage as consistently as any activity, and this South Carolina-UConn matchup will be no unique.

The Gamecocks (34-2) toppled Louisville 72-59 in the initially semifinal at Concentrate on Centre on Friday evening, at the rear of 23 points and 18 rebounds from Boston, the newly minted AP Participant of the Year.

“With the awards, I’m truly blessed, but my primary concentration is bringing dwelling a countrywide championship,” Boston reported. “I’m just genuinely locked in on that.”

After missing a shut-array putback at the buzzer in a 1-stage decline to Stanford in the Ultimate Four previous time, Boston bounced ideal again this year.

“We knew this was a new team,” Boston stated. “We have a ton additional depth.”

The Gamecocks have been a staff on a mission.

“It’s a aid correct now, and it feels fantastic. But we’re likely to consider in this second, and we’re not accomplished however, so we even now have unfinished small business,” explained Destanni Henderson, who hit a few 3-pointers on Friday.

UConn (30-5) took treatment of the defending winner Cardinal, outlasting Stanford 63-58 in the second sport. Bueckers experienced 14 details, 5 helps and two steals in her hometown to help get Auriemma back again to the title match for the to start with time because 2016.

“Points are tough to occur by in this tournament, and nowadays was definitely no various,” Auriemma reported. “We’re likely to have to earn some other way.”

Bueckers and her teammates huddled at midcourt in celebration the moment the buzzer sounded, most of them keeping up index fingers as they shouted, “One additional!” at just about every other in anticipation of the future — and final video game — of this nothing-will come-easy season. Eight UConn gamers had to miss at minimum two online games this time with personal injury or ailment.

These Huskies, the only No. 2 seed in this Last 4, may have overachieved a minor, as unusual as that sounds for this kind of a dynastic program.

“Coming in, I never imagine we’re the very best team there. I don’t consider we can acquire even if we play our ‘A’ video game. We need assist. We will need Stanford to not enjoy their greatest recreation. We need them to overlook photographs they normally make,” Auriemma reported.

UConn has by no means missing in the NCAA last, sporting a staggering 11- document in national championships. The four straight titles that the Huskies won from 2013-16 was a streak interrupted by none other than South Carolina in 2017, when UConn lost to Mississippi Condition on an additional time buzzer-beater in the Remaining Four.

The Gamecocks’ only championship was the a single 5 many years ago, the program’s only championship.

South Carolina beat UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas in November, pulling absent from the Huskies in the fourth quarter with that stifling protection.

And no one will have a lot more of the highlight Sunday than Bueckers, the sleek-taking pictures, lightning-quick sophomore guard. She grew up in a initial-ring suburb of Minneapolis and grew her activity at Hopkins Substantial College, just 10 miles west of the arena that was offered out this weekend with a crowd of a lot more than 18,000.

“It doesn’t definitely make a difference the locale,” mentioned Bueckers, who skipped just about a few months this time to a remaining knee injury. “We’re just attempting to get and maintain participating in with this crew.”

For Bueckers, who last yr turned the very first freshman to at any time gain the Participant of the Year award, this stretch run has been all about acquiring again up to speed and knocking off the rust from the lengthy layoff. Two times in the fourth quarter, she grimaced and gingerly walked all around following tricky landings, but there’s no way that knee — even if it is really not 100% — will maintain her from going all out for the title.

“Everybody is likely to lay it on the line,” Bueckers claimed, “and that is just basketball.”

A lot more AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-insanity and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-higher education-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Best25

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