The beat goes on
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Everything Connecticut lost to graduation made another Final Four even more special for Geno Auriemma and his Huskies.
Napheesa Collier scored 28 points, Gabby Williams had 25, and Connecticut advanced to the national semifinals for the 10th consecutive year with a 90-52 victory over Oregon on Monday night.
“There were a lot of question marks going into the season, and maybe they didn’t have any in their own minds,” Auriemma said. “They seemed to answer every single one of those questions. They deserve to be in the Final Four. They earned it.”
The Huskies’ 111th consecutive victory moved Auriemma past Pat Summitt for the most NCAA Tournament wins. Auriemma now has 113 and counting.
Next up for top-seeded UConn (36-0) is Mississippi State on Friday night in Dallas. The Huskies are just two wins away from a fifth consecutive title and 12th overall.
“It means a whole lot, especially with this group because no one thought we’d be here and we worked so hard this year,” said Collier, who earned most outstanding player honors for the Bridgeport Regional.
Connecticut jumped all over the 10th-seeded Ducks (23-14), stopping their impressive run through the tourney.
Leading 6-4, the Huskies scored 17 consecutive points. Saniya Chong got the gamechanging burst started with consecutive 3-pointers. Nearly 4½ minutes later, she capped the burst with a layup that made it 23-4.
Oregon closed to 34-21 midway through the second quarter, but Connecticut put the game away by scoring 15 of the final 18 points of the half. The Ducks also committed 22 turnovers, which led to 38 points for the Huskies.
Freshman Sabrina Ionescu led Oregon with 15 points.
SOUTH CAROLINA 71 FLORIDA ST. 64
Before they climbed the ladder to take their turn cutting the nets, Kaela Davis and A’ja Wilson started dancing. And dancing. The band blared inches away, and they danced some more.
A spectacular, spontaneous moment for the Gamecocks’ two biggest stars — one headed to her first Final Four and the other going back to chase the school’s first NCAA championship.
“It was just one of those inthe-moment things, having fun. We love our band,” Davis said.
Moments before tip-off, Wilson pulled Bianca CuevasMoore into a quick embrace, and then South Carolina’s 6-5 center began the night by winning the opening jump and the Gamecocks were on their way to the Final Four, holding off the Seminoles to win the Stockton Regional.
Most Outstanding Player Davis scored immediately off the tip and again with a timely lefthanded drive with 1:42 to go on the way to 23 points. Wilson finished with 16 despite foul trouble, and Allisha Gray acrobatically drove her way to 11 points for top-seeded South Carolina (31-4). Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2015 determined to bring home a title.
South Carolina is hoops country for the moment. The men’s program reached its first Final Four with a victory over Florida on Sunday that sent the women screaming in delight at Stockton Arena all the way across the country from the victory at Madison Square Garden.
“We’d also like to congratulate our men’s basketball team, because we’re coming to join you!” Staley told the crowd. She later pulled down the net and showed it off to both sides of the arena.
Leticia Romero cut the Gamecocks’ lead to five on a driving jumper with 3:51 left. Then Brittany Brown’s steal and layup at 3:25 made it 65-62, but the rally fizzled from there for the thirdseeded Seminoles (28-7).
Tyasha Harris added 16 points for South Carolina, which made things uncomfortable all game for Romero. The Spanish star had 16 points on 6 for 23 shooting as Florida State fell short once more of the program’s first Final Four.
The Seminoles shot 36.6 percent (26-for-71).
“We just didn’t hit shots. That was the big bottom line,” coach Sue Semrau said. “You have to put the ball in the basket.”