In a matchup of two women’s basketball heavyweights, Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks got the better of Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies in Monday’s Battle 4 Atlantis clash in the Bahamas.
Led by Aliyah Boston’s 22 points and 15 rebounds, the Gamecocks surged in the second half to take down UConn 73-57.
Auriemma said after the game that the Gamecock are the better team right now.
“They were better,” Auriemma said. “They were better than us defensively, they were better than us offensively, they were better than us rebounding the ball. So for 30 minutes, we were better. And then for the 10 that matter the most, they were.”
With the win, the Gamecocks avenged a close-fought overtime 63-59 loss to the Huskies in Connecticut last February. The teams will spar again this season on Jan. 27 at Colonial Life Arena. USC defeated UConn the last time they played in Columbia in 2020.
Auriemma said he expects both teams to evolve by the time they play again.
“That’s why you play these games in November,” Auriemma said. “I don’t think Dawn left here thinking like, ‘We just won a national championship.’ And we’re not leaving here thinking we have no chance to win.
They probably left here thinking, ‘We just beat a really good team, so we must be really good.’ And … they are.”