Hitting home
South Carolina scores its 1st road win over UConn
HARTFORD — UConn women’s basketball freshman Ines Bettencourt sat on the bench and rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration as UConn’s second starter fouled out Sunday afternoon at the XL Center.
Huskies’ coach Geno Auriemma spiked his water bottle down on the court three minutes earlier, also in frustration — to which he received a technical foul.
No. 5-ranked Huskies (21-3, 13-0 Big East) led early and continually fought back in the second half to keep within reach of No. 1 South Carolina.
Yet, they simply didn’t have enough and lost 81-77 to the Gamecocks for the first time ever at home and in front of a capacity crowd at the XL Center in the arena’s first sellout since 2017.
South Carolina’s victory is its third-straight over UConn and fourth in the teams’ past five meetings. Gamecock coach Dawn Staley improves her program-record road-game win record to 121-46 across 15 seasons as South Carolina (23-0, 10-0 SEC) remains one of two unbeaten teams ranked inside the AP Top-25 Poll.
loss is its third to a top-25 ranked opponent season and its first to the No. 1ranked team at home in 10 years (then-No.3 UConn fell No. 1 Baylor, and then-senior Brittney Griner, Feb. 18, 2013, 76-70).
The Huskies’ toughest and biggest game of the regular season took form as a rematch of the 2022 National Championship and it showed. The game was sold out three weeks prior. UConn students were lined up outside the XL Center by 4:30 in the morning in attempt to get good seats.
The XL Center was filled to capacity. As the Huskies played a tight game against the reigning champs in front of former Huskies: Sue Bird, Jen Rizzotti, Napheesa Collier, Morgan Tuck, Ashley Battle, Christyn Williams and Kelly Faris. Collier was at the game with her eight-month-old daughter Mila. UConn 2023 signee Qadance Samuels was also in attendance along with Big East commissioner Val Ackerman and UConn football coach Jim Mora.
South Carolina carried a three-point lead into the fourth quarter as UConn faced the opening minutes with foul trouble, with Aaliyah EdUConn’s
wards (25 points, four rebounds) and Lou Lopez Sénéchal (19 points, five rebounds) with four fouls each.
UConn started the quarter with a five-second violation on its inbound pass, but quickly shook off the fatigue and found another burst of energy.
It was 65-59 with just under four minutes left when Auriemma was called for the technical during a UConn possession.
Reigning National Player of the Year, Boston (26 points, including 23 in the second half, 11 rebounds) sank both free throws and followed with a basket of her own to increase South Carolina's lead to 10. Boston later hit a 3-pointer with 2:57 left to make it 7261 and cap a 9-0 run from the senior.
South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso (17 points, 11 rebounds) fouled out at 1:20 due to a technical. However, the Huskies only made two of their four foul shots.
Yet, the Huskies didn't back down. A basket by Edwards (25 points) with 46 seconds left pulled UConn back within five. Auriemma took his final timeout three seconds later as UConn began to foul South Carolina to slow down the game.
But the plan sort of backfired. Nika Mühl (11 points, four assists) fouled out with 34 seconds left and Lopez Sénéchal followed 10 seconds later. South Carolina made its last six shots from the foul line (Gamecocks shot 72%, 26-36, from the charity stripe).
Aubrey Griffin (17 points) converted a threepoint play off a fast break with 10 seconds left to make it 80-77, but Edwards' final shot attempt missed as the buzzer rang.
Unlike last April's game, UConn had just eight available players Sunday, including missing Paige Bueckers (ACL), Azzi Fudd (knee) and Caroline Ducharme (concussion).
But that didn't stop UConn from leading early.
The Huskies started faster and shot better than the Gamecocks. UConn's defense was all over South
Carolina's Aliyah Boston, forcing her to either take bad shots or get called for three-second violations.
South Carolina got into foul trouble as both Brea Hall and Brea Beal got called for two fouls in the first quarter. The Huskies ended the first 10 minutes with an 11-point lead while South Carolina made just five of 16 shots, including missing all three of their 3point attempts, and had five turnovers.
Playing with nearly double the available bodies that UConn had, the Gamecocks (with 14 available players) began their plan to tire out the Huskies in the second quarter.
South Carolina held UConn to just 27.3% shooting in the second as the Huskies didn't make a field goal until three minutes in. The Gamecocks cut UConn's double-digit lead to five thanks to a 6-2 run and a 3.5 min scoring drought from the Huskies.
UConn then fell into foul trouble as Aaliyah Edwards sat for the half 's final three minutes after getting called for her third personal foul. Meanwhile, Cardoso came off the bench and scored 11 in the quarter alone.
At halftime, the game was tied at 34. South Carolina had played used nine players (UConn six) to outscore the Huskies 20-9 in the second quarter and outrebound the Huskies 24-13, including 15 offensive boards, at the intermission.
The third quarter saw five ties and just one lead change. South Carolina went on a 6-0 run to open a 51-45 lead with just under two minutes left in the quarter
The Huskies, though, managed to climb back and it was 53-50 when the quarter ended. But Edwards was charged with her fourth foul with 1:15 left, sending the forward to the bench.
South Carolina had 37 points off the bench, while UConn's bench was scoreless. The Gamecocks also held a 42-30 rebounding edge, including 25-10 on offensive rebounds, to tie UConn for its secondworst rebounding performance of the season.
The Huskies next travel to Milwaukee to face Marquette on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (SNY).