South Carolina's unfinished business is a thing of the past. Dawn Staley's team finished an utterly dominant season with yet another overpowering victory, this time over Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies.
The Gamecocks (35-2) took a 13-2 lead in the game's opening minutes and never looked back, leading throughout the 2022 NCAA Tournament championship game. With that, the Gamecocks are only the eighth school to have multiple national championships.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/oVbqLXLhmr
— GamecockWBB (@GamecockWBB) April 4, 2022
MORE: Watch college basketball live with Sling TV
Aliyah Boston was a huge part of the victory, providing a dominant inside force en route to scoring 11 points and 16 rebounds for her NCAA-leading 30th double-double of the season. She wasn't the only force for the Gamecocks, however, as Destanni Henderson scored a game-leading 26 points, including 3-of-6 shooting from 3. Zia Cooke provided some clutch baskets as well, scoring 11 for the night.
Credit to the Huskies, which refused to take the loss lying down. UConn at one point overcame a 30-12 deficit to make the score 34-27 at halftime. The Huskies also went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter to get the game to within two possessions at 43-37 following consecutive 3-pointers — the first of the night — from Caroline Ducharme and Evina Westbrook.
Carolina continued its smothering defense and dominance on the boards, however, never allowing the Huskies to get closer than six points in the second half. The Gamecocks had an incredible 49-24 advantage on the boards and more than 20 second-chance points (thanks to 21 offensive rebounds). The defense was awesome as well, forcing 15 UConn turnovers.
Paige Beuckers was the only Husky to score in the double digits in Sunday's game, scoring 14 on 6-of-13 shooting from the field.
The Sporting News followed the 2022 championship game live — check out full highlights and updates below below:
UConn vs. South Carolina score
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F | |
| UConn | 8 | 19 | 10 | 12 | 49 |
| South Carolina | 22 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 64 |
UConn vs. South Carolina live updates, highlights from Final Four game
All times Eastern
Fourth quarter: South Carolina 64, UConn 49
10:14 p.m.: And so it is. Final: South Carolina 64, UConn 49.
10:12 p.m.: With the score 64-49 and less than a minute to play, it's just a matter of time now. South Carolina is going to be your 2022 NCAA Tournament champions.
10:11 p.m.: Boston hits her two free throws, giving her 11 points and 16 rebounds — her NCAA-leading 30th double-double of the season.
10:10 p.m.: More incredible defense from South Carolina, which gives nothing.
10:08 p.m.: Hall goes 1 for 2 to extend the lead to 61-47. With fewer than 3 minutes left, this game may be out of reach.
10:07 p.m.: South Carolina's defense continues to suffocate the UConn attack. There's just nothing doing for the Huskies.
10:05 p.m.: Two more for Henderson from the foul line. She has 26 points and gives South Carolina a 59-47 lead.
10:02 p.m.: Fudd gets a much-needed 3 — her first points of the game — to cut off any momentum for South Carolina. Beuckers scores a triple of her own on the ensuing possession to cut the lead back to 10 with 3:18 remaining. The Huskies refuse to let the Gamecocks run away with it.
10:01 p.m.: Henderson. Is. Unstoppable. She has back-to-back scores to give her 24 points, a career high.
10 p.m.: Offensive foul on UConn gives possession back to South Carolina. That's the fourth on Ducharme.
9:58 p.m.: Nice dish by Westbrook to Ducharme makes it 52-41 with just under 6 minutes left to play.
9:56 p.m.: Saxton hits both free throw shots after South Carolina nets its 20th (!) offensive rebound of the game. The Gamecocks lead is back to 13, at 52-39.
9:50 p.m.: Henderson with back-to-back buckets to get South Carolina a 50-39 lead. Massive.
9:49 p.m.: Bree Hall travels on South Carolina's opening possession of the quarter. Edwards scores from the top of the post on the opposite end to bring the score to 46-39.
Third quarter: South Carolina 46, UConn 37
9:44 p.m.: Just two points for Boston between the second and third quarters. UConn has really clamped down on the player of the year. Meanwhile, Henderson has a game-leading 16 points and has kept the Gamecocks from giving up the lead outright.
9:43 p.m.: Henderson goes 1 of 2 at the charity stripe then hits a layup on the end of a fast break to break the UConn scoring run. South Carolina's lead back to 46-37.
9:36 p.m.: Caroline Ducharme and Westbrook score the first 2 3s of the game for UConn at a great time as part of a 10-0 run that brings the score to 43-37. Timeout, South Carolina.
We now have 2️⃣ possession game after @evinawestbrook sinks a big 👌. #NationalChampionship x 🎥 @espn pic.twitter.com/2u6xkGuvKW
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 4, 2022
9:35 p.m.: Edwards hits a 2 to get past the 30-point mark, with roughly 2 minutes remaining in the half. South Carolina leads 43-31.
9:34 p.m.: Staley not happy with a late foul call on Beal on a rebound attempt. No matter, as UConn turns it over for the 13th time.
9:32 p.m.: Another turnover, UConn's 12th, out of the timeout.
9:28 p.m.: Cooke gets a tough layup to extend the lead to 43-29.
9:26 p.m.: Boston misses the second of two free throws but, surprise, South Carolina gets the offensive board. Saxton gets the board before Henderson gets fouled and gets two more free throws. The score is 41-27 Gamecocks.
9:24 p.m.: Cooke goes 1 of 2 at the free throw line. On the opposite end, UConn's Williams misses from 3. The Huskies are now 0 for 7 from beyond the arc.
9:23 p.m.: Beuckers misses the long 2 but gets back on defense to block a would-be fast-break layup from Eniya Russell.
Denied.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 4, 2022
Big Bueckers Block. 🚫#NationalChampionship X @UConnWBB pic.twitter.com/vkBkVWUc2O
9:21 p.m.: Game is paused, it appears, to clean up some blood on the court.
9:19 p.m.: Boston scores in the paint with Nelson-Ododa alone in defense. Perhaps UConn should double up on the player of the year. Regardless, South Carolina's lead is back to double digits at 37-27.
9:18 p.m.: UConn will attempt to continue its run with an offensive possession out of halftime.
First half: South Carolina 35, UConn 27
9:01 p.m.: First half stats:
| UConn | South Carolina | |
| Field goals | 13-24 | 15-41 |
| Field goal % | 54.2 | 36.6 |
| 3-pointers | 0-5 | 3-8 |
| 3-point % | 0.0 | 37.5 |
| Free throws | 1-2 | 2-4 |
| Free throw % | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| Rebounds | 13 | 25 |
| Assists | 6 | 7 |
| Steals | 1 | 3 |
| Blocks | 4 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 9 | 4 |
| Fouls | 7 | 3 |
| Largest lead | 0 | 18 |
8:58 p.m.: Officials miss a Staley timeout, but Boston finishes with a much-needed layup to stop this scoring run. The Gamecocks' lead has diminished to 34-27 after once sitting at 30-12. The Gamecocks missed 12 of their last 13 shots of the half to allow the Huskies back into this.
8:57 p.m.: Westbrook scores for a third straight scoring possession for the Huskies, making it a 9-0 run.
8:56 p.m.: A 7-0 Connecticut run has the score 32-23 South Carolina, with the Gamecocks' lead diminished to single digits.
8:53 p.m.: Great defensive possession by UConn, and a nice offensive setup on the other end has this score 32-21. Great rebound by the Huskies to get back in this game.
8:47 p.m.: That should be Carolina's 12th offensive rebound. The Gamecocks also have 16 second-chance points.
8:46 p.m.: Another turnover on UConn, its seventh. South Carolina has eight points off turnovers with a 30-16 lead.
8:44 p.m.: Beuckers has scored on each of the last two possessions. She's not giving the ball up.
Wheelin' through traffic to sink a fadeaway jumper.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 4, 2022
It's the hustle, skill and patience for us @paigebueckers1 . #NationalChampionship X 🎥 @espn pic.twitter.com/sIrXzPsqX2
8:44 p.m.: Another 3 from Henderson, who is now 3 for 3 on the night. She's on fire.
8:43 p.m.: And there's another 3 from Henderson on the opposite end. The score is now 25-8 and this game is in danger of getting away from the Huskies.
8:42 p.m.: UConn starts the second quarter with its sixth turnover of the game. Not great for the Huskies.
First quarter: South Carolina 22, UConn 8
8:37 p.m.: Boston gets a fantastic finish in the paint to make it 22-8, the final score of the first quarter. That is the lowest first-quarter score for UConn all season.
8:36 p.m.: Nelson-Ododa is called for a foul attempting a rebound, and she is clearly in disagreement. South Carolina ball with a 20-8 lead.
8:33 p.m.: There's UConn's first back-to-back buckets of the game off Nika Muhl and Evina Westbrook, respectively. That makes it 17-8
8:32 p.m.: My goodness, Cooke can't miss. She gets a running layup to go off the board for her eighth point of the first quarter.
8:30 p.m.: Nelson-Ododa finally breaks the scoring drought with a turnaround layup over Boston.
8:26 p.m.: And there's a travel by UConn's Nelson-Ododa, her second turnover on consecutive possessions.
8:26 p.m.: Cooke's cooking, going 3 for 3 to start this and give South Carolina a 13-2 lead.
8:20 p.m.: South Carolina's dominating in the paint, getting second-chance scores on consecutive possessions. The Gamecocks have five offensive boards on six already, not to mention seven second-half points.
8:18 p.m.: Cooke takes the defensive rebound on an off-target 3 and scores a fast-break layup to make it 5-0 Carolina.
8:17 p.m.: Henderson wastes no time, scoring a corner 3 to get the Gamecocks on the board with their first possession.
8:17 p.m.: Boston takes the tipoff, and we're off.
The last tip 🏀 ! #NationalChampionship X 🎥 @espn pic.twitter.com/lEDHsRDYY5
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 4, 2022
8:13 p.m.: And South Carolina's lineup: Aliyah Boston, Victaria Saxton, Zia Cooke, Destanni Henderson and Brea Beal.
8:12 p.m.: UConn's starting five: Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Christyn Williams, Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa.
Starters vs. South Carolina pic.twitter.com/2NK90QB8lH
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 3, 2022
UConn vs. South Carolina start time
- Date: Sunday, April 3
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
UConn vs. South Carolina is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET. The women's national championship game will be played at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
What channel is UConn vs. South Carolina on today?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: NCAA March Madness Live, Sling TV
College basketball fans can watch UConn vs. South Carolina on ESPN or stream it live with Sling TV.
UConn vs. South Carolina series history
UConn has dominated this history, claiming a 9-3 record against the Gamecocks. That said, Staley's team has made significant progress in the series in recent years, going 3-1 against the Huskies since February 2020, including the national championship victory in 2022.
| Date | Result |
| Dec. 17, 2007 | UConn 97, South Carolina 39 |
| Dec. 28, 2008 | UConn 77, South Carolina 48 |
| Feb. 9, 2015 | UConn 87, South Carolina 62 |
| Feb. 8, 2016 | UConn 66, South Carolina 54 |
| Feb. 13, 2017 | UConn 66, South Carolina 55 |
| Feb. 1, 2018 | UConn 83, South Carolina 58 |
| March 26, 2018 | UConn 94, South Carolina 65 |
| Feb. 11, 2019 | UConn 97, South Carolina 79 |
| Feb. 10, 2020 | South Carolina 70, UConn 52 |
| Feb. 8, 2021 | UConn 63, South Carolina 59 |
| Nov. 22, 2021 | South Carolina 73, UConn 57 |
| April 3, 2022 | South Carolina 69, UConn 49 |
---
We may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up for a streaming service through our links. The Sporting News' affiliates have no influence over the editorial content included in this article.