No. 1 South Carolina went on the road and defeated the No. 5 UConn Huskies on Sunday, 81-77, as women’s college basketball took center stage on FOX.
With the win, the Gamecocks remained undefeated, having now won 23 straight. They also snapped the Huskies’ 14-game winning streak with Sunday’s comeback victory.
Here are the highlights!
South Carolina 81, UConn 77
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And we’re off!
South Carolina opened the first-half scoring, but UConn was close behind. Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards, who was recently named a top-10 candidate for the 2023 Katrina McClain Award — a highly coveted annual award that recognizes the top power forwards in women’s Division 1 college basketball — got the first bucket for the home team.
On the move
Huskies forward Aubrey Griffin came up with a few smooth layups to start building UConn’s lead early in the game.
XL Center bounce!
Huskies guard Nika Mühl — the 2022 Big East Defensive Player of the Year — drained a 3-pointer late in the first quarter to extend UConn’s lead to eight.
Making a statement
The home team carried a 25-14 lead into the second quarter, thanks to this clutch 3-pointer from Lou Lopez-Senechal.
SC shows up
South Carolina guard Raven Johnson made a crucial jumper early in the second quarter to keep the Gamecocks in it.
Gaining momentum
South Carolina, with lots of help from Johnson and center Kamilla Cardoso, went to work closing the gap as the second frame continued.
Tie game!
Things were knotted up at 34 points a piece headed into halftime.
At the break, the Huskies were shooting 45.8% — including 66.7% from distance — while the Gamecocks were shooting just 34.3% and were 0-for-7 from the 3-point line.
Making plays
South Carolina was first to strike after the break, but UConn answered quickly to keep things even as the third quarter got underway.
Keeping it close
It was halfway through the third quarter and neither team got more than two points out in front of the other, as both squads gave an all-out effort.
Too tough
Double-teamed? No problem for Gamecocks star Aliyah Boston, who put some space between her team and the Huskies late in the frame.
Neck and neck
Griffin made a crucial bucket and free throw for UConn to tie things up once again, this time at the 3:48 mark.
Heating up!
The Gamecocks went on a 6-0 run late in the third quarter to take a 51-45 lead with 1:53 to play in the frame.
Third-quarter surge
Edwards got UConn got back in the swing of things with a big-time layup and free throw to make it a three-point game.
Sharp shooters
UConn’s pressure early in the fourth quarter kept South Carolina within arm’s reach …
… but the Gamecocks weren’t backing down without a fight. Example A: Johnson.
Pulling away
After trailing majority of the game, South Carolina took an 11-point lead, 72-61, with less than three minutes to play.
Closing time
UConn went on a 6-0 run of its own late in the final frame to make it a six-point game with just over a minute remaining.
Fight until the end
The Huskies continued to give it their all as the final quarter came to a close, closing the gap slightly at every turn.
However, it wasn’t enough to pull off a comeback, and things ended there, 81-77.
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