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South Carolina went wire-to-wire as the best team in the country, winning the second national championship in program history with a 64-49 victory over UConn. Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 26 to lead all scorers.

South Carolina was the preseason No. 1, and held the ranking all season. Dawn Staley, who became the seventh coach with multiple national championships, said it was “divinely ordained” for the Gamecocks to hoist the trophy in Minneapolis, but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion. 

There was the bad luck of the canceled 2020 tournament. There was lingering doubt from last season’s heartbreak despite a preseason declaration of “national championship or bust.” There were injuries and illnesses on a constantly changing roster. There were shocking losses to Missouri and Kentucky that led to soul-searching. And as South Carolina kept winning, there were manufactured controversies and debates and pressure mounted. But when the final buzzer sounded and the confetti fell, the party began.

All season long the Gamecocks were led by Aliyah Boston, but Sunday night it was the senior Henderson took over. She made one big play after another to make sure the Gamecocks came away winners. 

“She had a different look this tournament because she knew it was going to be her last tournament,” Staley said. “So each and every game, whether she had great, great performances or not, she was locked in. And if she wasn’t, this wouldn’t happen, because basketball has a funny way of repaying you for not treating it the right way. She treated it the right way, and she was super aggressive on both sides of the basketball.”

South Carolina jumped out to a 13-2 lead and never trailed. The lead was as much as 18 in the second quarter, but UConn chipped away. Another 8-0 run to start the third had South Carolina seemingly in control, until a 10-0 UConn run. The run pulled the Huskies within six with 90 seconds remaining in the third quarter, and it seemed like the Gamecocks were on the ropes. Staley called a timeout.

“Our team needed a timeout to refocus,” Staley said. “They went out and made better decisions and opened up a lead.”

Then Henderson took over. She scored the next seven points for the Gamecocks to push the lead back into double figures, and UConn was suddenly back where it had been, trying to muster a comeback. 

“My teammates put my in a good position to score the basketball. I found open gaps and when they collapsed in the paint, Aliyah or whoever it was that was passing the ball just found me out on the perimeter, and I just let it fly,” Henderson said. “I really didn’t even know I had a career-high, to be honest with you. But when people spoke about it and let me know that, it’s just even more of a blessing and just an honor to do it in this moment, a special moment that all of us is going to remember forever. I just feel like my teammates, again, I can’t thank them enough. My coach, for just putting me in the best position. These last two years have been the best two years of college basketball for me.”

South Carolina outrebounded UConn 49-24, topping even the 42-25 margin from the first meeting in the Bahamas. That included 21 offensive rebounds on 38 missed shots, leading to 22 second-chance points.

UConn outshot South Carolina 40.7% to 36.7%, but the Gamecocks attempted six more shots and 22 more free throws.

“We knew that was going to be the deciding factor,” Geno Auriemma said. “We said in the Stanford game the reason we won is because we out-rebounded them and we made our free throws when they counted. We knew tonight that if we didn’t hold our own on the boards that it was going to be a really bad night for us, and that’s exactly what happened. We had the same number of field goals as they did, but when you offensive rebound you tend to get to the free-throw line, too. They outscored us by 25 from the free-throw line. They were just way more aggressive, way more physical than we were, and I thought that was the game right there.”

Boston led the way with 16 rebounds and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. She had a relatively quiet offensive night, but still finished with 11 points, three assists, and two blocks for her 30th double-double of the season. She got to erase the memory of last season’s heartbreak.

“It’s very satisfying, this goal coming into school winning a National Championship,” Boston said. “And last year we fell short and it’s not something we can continue to hold on to, but I guess you could say now it’s in the back of our mind because we have a National Championship to hold on to.”

Zia Cooke added 11 points, with eight coming in the first quarter. After player introductions, Cooke and Staley shared a long hug. She started 3-3 from the floor, sparking the Gamecocks’ early run. Cooke hasn’t the season she wanted, but she was determined to win.

Paige Bueckers scored 14 points for UConn, but was the only Husky in double figures. She also had six rebounds, but only two assists as the South Carolina defense hounded her with multiple defenders. Henderson, Brea Beal, Cooke, and Bree Hall all took their turns on Bueckers. 

“(We) know that wherever she went she was going to attract one or two people no matter what, but that that would free up other people to make shots, and that just never materialized,” Auriemma said. “Their guards completely, I thought, dominated the game on the perimeter and made it really difficult for any of our guys to get any good looks. Yeah, we usually don’t have any problem getting Paige shots, but tonight it was a problem, and I think South Carolina had everything to do with that.”

South Carolina also switched constantly, disrupting UConn’s motion offense and preventing anyone other than Bueckers to find a rhythm. Caroline Ducharme had nine points and Aliyah Edwards had eight, but they couldn’t score consistently.

“I told Dawn after the game, they were the best team in the country all year,” Auriemma said. “They were No. 1 in the country in November when we saw them down in the Bahamas, and they’re the best team in the country today. When you’re dealing with that all year long, it’s not the easiest thing in the world. So I think her and her staff, they did a magnificent job managing all that and all the expectations that go with that.”

Now South Carolina turns its attention to next season, and there will be another set of goals.

“Same as this year,” Boston said.

Notes:

Before the game, Boston was named the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year for the third consecutive season. … UConn’s Azzi Fudd played just 17 minutes and was dealing with an illness. … The Huskies were 4-16 on threes. South Carolina started 3-6 from three and then missed the last ten attempts. … South Carolina was able to empty the bench in the final minute, and all 15 Gamecocks got to play. Staley thanked the end of the bench in her celebratory speech to the fans. … UConn is now 11-1 in national championship games. … The All-Tournament team was Haley Jones, Paige Bueckers, Zia Cooke, Destanni Henderson, and Aliyah Boston. … The game was officially a sellout.