MINNEAPOLIS — How fitting that South Carolina’s title came at UConn’s expense. A new dynasty, ushered in over the old.
In winning its second title in six years Sunday, South Carolina handed UConn its first loss in 12 national championship games. Decisively, too, the overwhelming performance leaving no doubt that this was a title won by South Carolina rather than lost by UConn.
Aliyah Boston with what’s become her signature, a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds. South Carolina with 21 offensive rebounds, three fewer than UConn had in total. And Destanni Henderson having the performance of her life in her final college game, scoring a career-high 26 while helping to contain Paige Bueckers.
Add it up, and it was a 64-49 victory that wasn’t even as close as that scoreline looked.
“UConn is not only a great team, they’re a great tradition. They’re a part of our women’s basketball history. Can’t really take that away from them,” coach Dawn Staley said. “But today, it was divinely ordered for us to be champions. We weren’t going to be denied.”
Not on this night, and likely not any time soon.
If not for the tournament being canceled in 2020, when South Carolina was 32-1 and expected to be the overall No. 1 seed, and last-second misses in last year’s national semifinal, this could be three in a row for the Gamecocks. As it is, they are set up to do it all again next year.
Boston, the consensus national player of the year, Brea Beal and Zia Cooke are only juniors, not age-eligible for the WNBA draft. South Carolina also gets back freshman phenom Raven Johnson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-November.
“Same as this year,” Boston said without hesitation when asked what South Carolina’s goal next year will be.
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Yes, there’s more parity in the game than ever before. But all you had to do was watch South Carolina for the first quarter to know this is a special team. Now that it has its title, it will not cede it easily. The Gamecocks held UConn to one basket in the first six minutes of the game while racing out to a 13-2 lead. It did not allow Paige Bueckers a field goal the entire quarter.
“They deserved it, 100 percent,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “The first five minutes I thought they came out and set the tone right then and there for how the game was going to be played.”
On South Carolina’s terms.
During the most incredible stretches of UConn’s run – consecutive titles from 2002 to 2004 and again from 2013 to 2016 – they were ruthless, showing few weaknesses and even fewer openings. Even if they didn’t admit it, opponents knew they weren’t beating the Huskies unless they beat themselves.
And so it has been for South Carolina.
Almost from the time they returned to campus after their Final Four loss, Staley and her players have had a single-minded focus. Boston, fueled by the photos of her sobbing after her buzzer-beater fell short, elevated her game and is now a level above anyone else. Every player bought into the unselfishness Staley said she would need.
But it is their defense that both defines and epitomizes the Gamecocks. Despite playing 14 games against ranked opponents this year, South Carolina led the nation with a +20.2 scoring margin. With UConn failing to crack 50 points, South Carolina held half of their NCAA Tournament opponents below the half-century mark.
It’s disheartening to be dismantled so thoroughly. Soul-sapping to think you’ve found an opening only to have the Gamecocks clamp down even harder. There are boa constrictors that aren’t as smothering as South Carolina was when UConn cut the lead to six points.
“Our players were just really resilient,” Staley said. “They didn’t want to lose this. So close to being national champions, they did not want to lose this battle so they kicked it in another gear to get it done.”
Staley isn’t ready to call her program a dynasty after two national titles. But there is no denying that South Carolina has been at the top of the women’s game for the last four years, and it’s built to stay there.
The Gamecocks have had the top-ranked recruiting class two of the past three years, and another national title will only attract more talent.
“I just want to be a great example of how to do things the right way and keep our game in a place where the integrity is intact, because that’s the way we’ll grow,” Staley said. “That is the exact way we’ll grow is just lifting each other up, giving us a platform where we’re encouraging, we are helping each individual be the best that they can be and succeed.”
But dynasties begin — and end – somewhere, and it was impossible to watch this game and not think a transition was occurring before your eyes.
“Coming into this game, the conversation was about how coach Auriemma was 11-0 in title games. But coach Staley was 1-0, and now she’s 2-0,” Boston said. “It just shows the type of program that she’s built and how great it is being a dynasty.”
For three decades, UConn set the standard, the program by which all others were measured. Now it is South Carolina’s turn. Long may Staley and her Gamecocks reign.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: South Carolina starts new dynasty, ends another after beating UConn