LIVE: Fans welcome South Carolina women's basketball team back to Columbia
South Carolina fans welcome the Gamecocks’ women’s basketball team back to Columbia at the Colonial Life Arena Monday.
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.
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South Carolina women’s basketball wins national title!
By Chris Wellbaum
South Carolina Women’s Basketball: News • Recruiting • Schedule • Roster • Stats • SEC • Polls • Scholarships
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.
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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.”
