The Final Four of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament was held on Friday, with both games being played in Tampa, Florida.No. 1 South Carolina 74, No. 1 Texas 57Dawn Staley has never lost a national championship game in three trips as South Carolina's coach.Part of the key to winning those decisive games? Forgetting about what happened the last time she was there. And this time, that was only a year ago.Staley's defending champion Gamecocks left no doubt they would return to the title game, getting 14 points from Te-Hina Paopao and overwhelming Texas 74-57 on Friday night in the Final Four of the women's NCAA Tournament.Video above: Women's Final Four“Nothing that happened prior to here is going to help us on Sunday. Nothing,” Staley said. “Saying that we’re undefeated in national championships games — I wish it helped. I wish it would spot us 10 points because we’re undefeated. I'd feel really good about that."The Gamecocks are a win away from becoming the first team to secure consecutive titles since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. The Huskies faced UCLA in Friday’s second semifinal.Freshman Joyce Edwards added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for South Carolina (35-3), which used its experience and poise to weather an early deficit, and then took control with its depth at both ends of the floor.Three South Carolina players finished in double figures — Bree Hall had 11 points — and the Gamecocks dominated Texas in the post with 40 points in the paint to the Longhorns’ 22.Madison Booker had 11 points with three fouls for the Longhorns (35-4), who were trying to reach their first championship since 1986. They were in the Final Four for the first time since 2003 after a dominant season, which was their first in the Southeastern Conference after coming over from the Big 12.Texas went 15-1 against the SEC in the regular season and shared the conference title with the Gamecocks.Video below: Chasing a championship South Carolina broke open the game in the third quarter with an 11-0 run started by Edwards' driving layup, and Texas never got closer than 10 the rest of the way. Booker, Texas' leading scorer, was held without a basket after making a jumper at the seven-minute mark of the third.The Longhorns could not match South Carolina’s pace as the game went on. They only scored nine points in the third, including bad mid-range misses from Booker and Harmon. Harmon, a senior who returned this season from an ACL injury last year, finished with eight points. Jordan Lee led Texas with 16 points off the bench.“Not our best night tonight,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said, “but it wasn’t because they weren’t out there battling and trying. We lost to the better team tonight.”No. 1 UCLA 85, No. 2 UConn 51Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd didn’t even need much help from superstar Paige Bueckers to propel UConn into the national title game, leading the Huskies to a remarkably easy 85-51 victory over UCLA on Friday night in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament.Strong finished with 22 points and Fudd scored all of her 19 points in the first half for the second-seeded Huskies, who are one win away from their 12th national championship and first since the team won four straight from 2013-16, led by Breanna Stewart. The eight-year title drought is the longest for the Huskies since they won their first in 1995.UConn will face defending champion South Carolina on Sunday for the title after the Gamecocks beat Texas 74-57 earlier Friday night. It’s a rematch of the 2022 championship game, which the Gamecocks won 64-49. The teams met in February and UConn shocked South Carolina with a 29-point road victory.Bueckers, the likely top pick in next month's WNBA draft, finished with 16 points after topping 30 in each of the previous three games for the Huskies (36-3).All-America center Lauren Betts scored 26 points for top overall seed UCLA (34-3).UConn got off to a hot start with Strong and Fudd leading the way. Even when shots looked off, they found their way in. Fudd, one of the best shooters in the country, banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key, prompting Auriemma to throw his arms in the air and smile.The Huskies led 23-13 at the end of the first quarter. They continued the onslaught behind Fudd to open a 42-22 advantage at the break. Bueckers had the play of the half with a touch pass in the air to Kaitlyn Chen for a layup late in the second quarter.UCLA never threatened in the second half, as the 6-foot-7 Betts had little help.The Bruins fell short in their first appearance in the NCAA Final Four. UCLA won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women’s basketball. The Bruins were looking to become the first team from the Big Ten, a conference they joined this season, to win a championship since Purdue did it in 1999.UCLA cruised through its best regular season, earning the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 for the first time and holding the spot for 14 weeks.The Bruins only lost twice this year before Friday, both to JuJu Watkins and USC. UCLA got a measure of revenge by beating USC to win the Big Ten Tournament in its first year in the league after the dismantling of the Pac-12. The Bruins set a program record for wins in a season and won 23 consecutive games, including 22 in a row by double digits.
TAMPA, Fla. — The of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament was held on Friday, with both games being played in Tampa, Florida.
No. 1 South Carolina 74, No. 1 Texas 57
Dawn Staley has never lost a national championship game in three trips as South Carolina's coach.
Part of the key to winning those decisive games? Forgetting about what happened the last time she was there. And this time, that was only a year ago.
Staley's defending champion Gamecocks left no doubt they would return to the title game, getting 14 points from Te-Hina Paopao and overwhelming Texas 74-57 on Friday night in the Final Four of the women's
Video above: Women's Final Four
“Nothing that happened prior to here is going to help us on Sunday. Nothing,” Staley said. “Saying that we’re undefeated in national championships games — I wish it helped. I wish it would spot us 10 points because we’re undefeated. I'd feel really good about that."
The Gamecocks are a win away from becoming the first team to secure consecutive titles since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. The Huskies faced UCLA in Friday’s second semifinal.
Freshman Joyce Edwards added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for South Carolina (35-3), which used its experience and poise to weather an early deficit, and then took control with its depth at both ends of the floor.
Three South Carolina players finished in double figures — Bree Hall had 11 points — and the Gamecocks dominated Texas in the post with 40 points in the paint to the Longhorns’ 22.
Madison Booker had 11 points with three fouls for the Longhorns (35-4), who were trying to reach their first championship since 1986. They were in the Final Four for the first time since 2003 after a dominant season, which was their first in the Southeastern Conference after coming over from the Big 12.
Texas went 15-1 against the SEC in the regular season and shared the conference title with the Gamecocks.
Video below: Chasing a championship
South Carolina broke open the game in the third quarter with an 11-0 run started by Edwards' driving layup, and Texas never got closer than 10 the rest of the way. Booker, Texas' leading scorer, was held without a basket after making a jumper at the seven-minute mark of the third.
The Longhorns could not match South Carolina’s pace as the game went on. They only scored nine points in the third, including bad mid-range misses from Booker and Harmon. Harmon, a senior who returned this season from an ACL injury last year, finished with eight points. Jordan Lee led Texas with 16 points off the bench.
“Not our best night tonight,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said, “but it wasn’t because they weren’t out there battling and trying. We lost to the better team tonight.”
No. 1 UCLA 85, No. 2 UConn 51
Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd didn’t even need much help from superstar Paige Bueckers to propel UConn into the national title game, leading the Huskies to a remarkably easy 85-51 victory over UCLA on Friday night in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Strong finished with 22 points and Fudd scored all of her 19 points in the first half for the second-seeded Huskies, who are one win away from their 12th national championship and first since the team won four straight from 2013-16, led by Breanna Stewart. The eight-year title drought is the longest for the Huskies since they won their first in 1995.
UConn will face defending champion South Carolina on Sunday for the title after the Gamecocks beat Texas earlier Friday night. It’s a rematch of the 2022 championship game, which the Gamecocks won 64-49. The teams met in February and UConn shocked South Carolina with a .
Bueckers, the likely top pick in next month's WNBA draft, finished with 16 points after topping 30 in each of the previous three games for the Huskies (36-3).
All-America center Lauren Betts scored 26 points for top overall seed UCLA (34-3).
UConn got off to a hot start with Strong and Fudd leading the way. Even when shots looked off, they found their way in. Fudd, one of the best shooters in the country, banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key, prompting Auriemma to throw his arms in the air and smile.
The Huskies led 23-13 at the end of the first quarter. They continued the onslaught behind Fudd to open a 42-22 advantage at the break. Bueckers had the play of the half with a in the air to Kaitlyn Chen for a layup late in the second quarter.
Chris O'Meara
UConn center Jana El Alfy (8) and UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) react during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game against UCLA during the women’s NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla.
UCLA never threatened in the second half, as the 6-foot-7 Betts had little help.
The Bruins fell short in their first appearance in the NCAA Final Four. UCLA won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women’s basketball. The Bruins were looking to become the first team from the Big Ten, a conference they joined this season, to win a championship since Purdue did it in 1999.
UCLA cruised through its best regular season, earning the No. 1 ranking in for the first time and holding the spot for 14 weeks.
The Bruins only lost twice this year before Friday, both to JuJu Watkins and USC. UCLA got a measure of revenge by in its first year in the league after the dismantling of the Pac-12. The Bruins set a program record for wins in a season and won 23 consecutive games, including 22 in a row by double digits.
