Transfer Ta'Niya Latson rises to big role in South Carolina's upset of UConn

PHOENIX — When Raven Johnson went to the bench with 8:30 to play in the second quarter after picking up her second foul while tightly guarding UConn’s Azzi Fudd , there was a sense of frustration and despair among the South Carolina fans sitting in the Mortgage Matchup Center Friday, April 3 at the Final Four. Former Gamecocks forward Aaliyah Boston rose from her courtside seat – where she was watching the game with rapper Flavor Flav – to yell at the referees. South Carolina was about to have to endure a long stretch against the undefeated Huskies, the top overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament, without their starting point guard and emotional leader .

And indeed, the Gamecocks got through it. They trailed UConn by just two points at halftime, and then started the third quarter on a 16-4 run to take a 10-point lead – which was at that point the largest deficit the Huskies had faced all season. Johnson returned to the game and provided a steady hand and stellar defense in the second half as one Goliath defeated another with South Carolina taking a 62-48 win over UConn , snapping the Huskies’ 54-game win streak, ending their undefeated season and sending Geno Auriemma into a postgame tailspin .

“It started on the defensive end. We had to get stops,” South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson said. “We knew Raven wasn’t out there.

She couldn't really run the show, but we had to have her back. I think we just stayed closer during those times. We stayed together and we fought until Raven got back.