South Carolina and UCLA will play for the women’s basketball national title after surviving the Final Four
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Agot Makeer #44 shoots against UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong #55 in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center, in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday. - Kirby Lee/Imagn Images/Reuters Connect South Carolina and UCLA will face off for the women’s basketball national championship on Sunday after their victories in the Final Four. Here is what to know from Friday’s madness: South Carolina shocks UConn South Carolina came into Friday’s game in a position they don’t usually find themselves in: As an underdog to UConn.
And they pulled off a stunning upset, downing the Huskies 62-47 to advance to the national championship game for the fourth time in the past five years. After a low-scoring first half that saw both teams struggling from three-point range, it was the Gamecocks that woke up after halftime. Madina Okot #11 of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Serah Williams #22 of the UConn Huskies compete for the tip-off.
- C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos/Getty Images UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong fights for the ball against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ta'niya Latson and center Madina Okot in the second half. - Kirby Lee/Imagn Images/Reuters Connect A quick 12-2 run helped South Carolina jump out to an eight-point lead, the biggest of the game up to that point.
However, the Huskies battled back with Kayleigh Heckel, Blanca Quiñonez and Azzi Fudd hitting back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to make it a one-point game. But South Carolina answered right back to extend their lead to five with UConn finding themselves in an unfamiliar position — trailing at the end of three quarters for the first time this season. The Gamecocks shut down any potential comeback attempt by the Huskies in the fourth quarter to coast to the victory.
UConn now ends the season with a 38-1 record and their 54-game winning streak comes to a screeching end. Amid the season coming to an end for his Huskies squad, head coach Geno Auriemma appeared to exchange heated words with USC head coach Dawn Staley in the final seconds of the game. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, on Friday.
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