UConn vs. South Carolina: A History Lesson
finish line to 100,” Auriemma said after the game. “If it’s a relay, they took the last baton to 100.”
South Carolina, though, would win its first NCAA title just two months later after UConn lost in overtime to Mississippi State in the national semifinals.
Feb. 1, 2018, in Columbia UConn 83, South Carolina 58
UConn was on a mission to take down South Carolina. The Huskies were on the throttle early, outscoring the Gamecocks 24-16 in the first quarter and a blazing 29-8 in the second quarter.
UConn limited Wilson’s impact as she shot 4 of 18 from the floor and scored 16 points, much lower than her usual production.
Nurse led all scorers with 23 points on 5 of 10 shooting from behind the arc. Katie Lou Samuelson finished with 20 and Williams recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds. Napheesa Collier had an efficient 19 points by shooting 6 of 9 from the field and 2-of-2 from the perimeter. The Huskies recorded 18 assists on the night, the Gamecocks only recorded six.
“If you really know about basketball, you’re going to say, ‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ “Auriemma said following the contest.
March, 26, 2018, in Albany
UConn 94, South Carolina 65
This Elite Eight game marked the first time these two programs met in the NCAA Tournament. UConn had the most points scored in the school’s history during this round of the tournament.
Wilson led all scorers with 27 points, but her contribution was not enough to offset the offensive prowess of UConn.
The Huskies were hot from the jump, making 9 of 10 triples in the first half, this included Dangerfield’s 5 of 5 from deep. Crystal Dangerfield scored 19 of her 21 points in the first half, earning UConn a comfortable 54-33 cushion heading into the half.
“Tonight, my teammates did a great job of finding me when I was open and I was able to knock those shots in early,” Dangerfield said after the game.
All five Husky starters finished in double figures: Williams led UConn with 23, Samuelson scored 17 — on 4 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc — Napheesa Collier had 16, and Nurse rounded it out with 11.
UConn would lose to Notre Dame in the national semifinal one game later.
Feb. 11, 2019, in Hartford UConn 97, South Carolina 79
After the powerhouses competed in two close quarters, UConn controlled the third quarter and out-scored South Carolina 29-12. The Huskies and the Gamecocks both scored 24 points in the final 10 minutes, so UConn’s assertiveness in the third awarded the program’s eighth straight victory over South Carolina.
Samuelson scored 14 points in the Huskies’ third quarter turnaround and finished with 29.
She was not the leading scorer though, as the rim simply could not deny Collier. She scored 31 points, seized 16 rebounds and got six assists.
“I said this the other night, that every coach talks about their players as if they’re the best players ever,” Auriemma said following the game. “I don’t get caught up in that stuff. (But) there can’t be anywhere a player that’s playing better or does more for their team than Napheesa Collier does. That’s not possible. I haven’t seen every game, every week in every conference. There’s something about her that’s rare — you just don’t see it. You don’t see it at all.”
Feb. 10, 2020, in Columbia South Carolina 70, UConn 52
After eight UConn wins, South Carolina finally beat the Huskies.
The Huskies scored only two points in the first quarter, a record low. Aliayah Boston altered many of the Huskies’ shots, as she controlled the game with nine rebounds and three steals during the first period.
UConn remained competitive thanks to Dangerfield, who scored a career-high of 25 points.
Tyasha Harris — who was a freshman on South Carolina’s 2017 National Championship team — was 0-4 against UConn prior to this win. She led the Gamecocks with 19 points and a season-high of 11 assists.
“I see all the people who started before us, people who hadn’t beat UConn and I see how happy they are,” Harris said after the game.
Feb. 8, 2021, in Storrs
UConn 63, South Carolina 59 (OT)
No.2 UConn and No. 1 South Carolina were tied up at the half, the game came down to the final minutes. The Gamecocks went on an 11-0 run with eight minutes left to play, but Paige Bueckers came up clutch by sinking two consecutive jumpers to tie the game 54 with 46 seconds in regulation.
Bueckers scored all of the Huskies’ nine points in OT, including a deep 3 as the shot clock was about to expire. She threw up the shot and all of Storrs held its breath as the ball hit the back of the rim and bounced high in the air then fell through the net.
She finished with 31 points and scored UConn’s final 13 points.
“It bounced straight up, so I was like, ‘Man, it’s got to go in,’ ” Bueckers said after the game. “It looked good. It felt good, but, yeah, I would say that was a really nice bounce.”
Nov. 22, 2021, in Paradise Island, Bahamas
South Carolina 73, UConn 57
UConn battled possession after possession and even led by 13 at one point, yet South Carolina pulled off a late burst and outscored the Huskies 16-3 in the fourth quarter to secure their victory.
The final 10 minutes proved to be a nightmare for UConn as its shot only 1-of-10 from the floor. During this stretch, the Gamecocks forced seven turnovers and outrebounded UConn 11-6.
Bueckers led the Huskies with 19 points and Evina Westbrook scored 14. Cristyn Williams mustered 10 points, but the rest of the squad struggled offensively.
South Carolina’s Boston snatched 15 rebounds and scored 22 points on 10 of 19 shooting to lead all scorers.
“For 30 minutes we were better, but the 10 that mattered most, they were,” Auriemma said after the game.
April 3, 2022, in Minneapolis South Carolina 64, UConn 49
This defeat was more than losing the NCAA title, it was the first time UConn had ever lost a National Championship game after winning its previous 11 times.
South Carolina outscored UConn 22-8 in the first quarter; the Huskies closed to six, but in the end the deficit was too big to overcome.
South Carolina’s defense smothered UConn, outrebounding the Huskies 49-24, including 21-6 on offensive boards.
Bueckers was the only player from UConn to score in double figures and finished with 14 points.
“I mean, nobody in my position would be happy right now, so I’m obviously upset just with the way things ended,” Bueckers said following the loss. “Super proud of this team for how far we’ve come and all the adversity we’ve dealt with and all we’ve overcome to get to this point. But at UConn, it’s National Championship or nothing.”