The South Carolina Gamecocks are state champions again. On Sunday night in Minneapolis, South Carolina held off UConn in a low-scoring game (64-49) to capture the second title in school history. This was the first loss in a national championship game for UConn, who are undefeated in 11 previous appearances. Aliyah Boston was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four.
On the very first possession of the game, Destanni Henderson hit a 3-pointer to put South Carolina ahead and they never let go of him. It took them just four minutes and 44 seconds to build a double-digit lead and they were 22-8 up after the first quarter. While UConn, as expected, made a few runs here and there to hang around, they never seriously threatened to take the lead. In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, South Carolina’s celebration officially began.
Henderson led the Gamecocks with 26 points, four assists and three steals. This was the highest-scoring game of her collegiate career and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Boston, the Naismith Player of the Year, finished the tournament with 11 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. South Carolina’s dominance on the offensive glass — 21 offensive rebounds — was a major factor in the result.
Paige Bueckers led UConn with 14 points and six rebounds. She was the only player in the Huskies to finish in double figures.
2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship
All times East | NCAA Tournament Schedule
| (1) South Carolina 64, (2) UConn 59 | National Championship Game |
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Henderson delivers the greatest performance of her career
With so much talent on this South Carolina team, it was sometimes difficult for players whose names weren’t Aliyah Boston to stand out. That wasn’t the case on Sunday night, however, when senior guard Destanni Henderson delivered the greatest performance of her career on the biggest stage.
Henderson dumped a 3-pointer from the corner on the first possession of the game, then assisted on two more buckets over the next few minutes to help the Gamecocks build an early double-digit advantage. They would never give up that lead again, thanks in large part to Henderson’s impressive play at both ends of the floor.
She finished with a career-high 26 points on 9-of-20 from the field, four assists and three steals. On a night when South Carolina sometimes struggled to find offense, Henderson was a consistent presence. She either scored or assisted on 13 of the team’s 22 field goals scored. On the other hand, their defense was a key factor in limiting UConn to just 49 points on 40.7 percent shooting.
“My teammates trusted me,” said Henderson. “I feel like we’ve been working hard since day one waiting for this moment and tonight I just found open shots.”
For her play, not just in the national championship but throughout the tournament, Henderson was named to the 2022 NCAA All-Tournament Team.
Boston named Most Outstanding Player
Naismith’s Player of the Year Aliyah Boston dominated the tournament, posting a performance of 23 points and 18 rebounds in the Final Four against Louisville. UConn understandably didn’t want that to happen again and gave the South Carolina star every possible defensive attention.
To that end they were successful. Boston’s eight field goal attempts were second fewest this season, and her 11 points were fourth fewest. It does not matter. Boston still had a big impact on the game, recording their 30th double-double of the season with 11 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
And none of those stats take into account how she drained UConn’s defenders, who had to battle her on the block and glass all game long. Or how the attention UConn gave her opened things up for other players like Henderson. Or how their defensive presence helped limit UConn to one of their worst offensive plays all season.
It feels great,” Boston said. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it since last season because everyone had a photo of me crying at the end of the Final Four and put it up all over the place. But today we are national champions and… tears of joy. Tears of joy. If you want a smile, then here. And we’re national champions.”
In addition to being named to the 2022 NCAA All-Tournament Team, Boston was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She is the first South Carolina player to receive this honor since A’ja Wilson in 2017.
Staley, South Carolina make history
Throughout the tournament, so much had been written about UConn’s historic accomplishments – 28 straight Sweet 16s, 14 straight Final Fours, a record 11 national championships, an unbeaten record in national championship games. On Sunday night, it was Dawn Staley and South Carolina’s turn to step into the spotlight and make their own history.
Here are just some of the feats Staley and company accomplished:
- South Carolina became the eighth program to win multiple national championships
- Dawn Staley became the first black head coach in Division I history (men or women) to win multiple national championships
- South Carolina became the 12th program to go head-to-head as the No. 1 team and win the national championship
- South Carolina became the first team to defeat UConn in a national championship game
Earlier in the season, Staley signed a historic $22.4 million seven-year contract extension. South Carolina’s performance on Sunday and over the past six months has proven to be worth every penny, if not more. She has firmly established herself as one of the best coaches in the country and could be building a dynasty of her own in Colombia.
With a number of key players from this team, including Boston, returning next season, the Gamecocks will be favorites to win it all again. There’s still a long way to go before that, of course, but if South Carolina has a real shot at becoming the first team since UConn (2013-2016) to repeat the title.