After several days of anticipation, the women’s Final Four took over Tampa on Friday night, and the stars of the sport ultimately came out on top by the night’s end.
In the early game, South Carolina continued its quest to become the first repeat national champion since UConn won four straight from 2013 to 2016, defeating Texas 74-57 in the semifinal. Another championship would be the Gamecocks’ third title in four seasons.
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In the nightcap, UConn’s Paige Bueckers continued her final push for a national championship, the sole mountain she has yet to climb in her collegiate career, as the Huskies handily beat UCLA, 85-51. Bueckers and Co. will take on the Gamecocks on Sunday afternoon at Amalie Arena.
No. 1 South Carolina 74, No. 1 Texas 57
For the third time in four years, South Carolina is heading back to the national championship.
After a slow start, the No. 1 Gamecocks surged back beat No. 1 Texas, 74-57, in the first matchup of the 2025 Final Four. South Carolina took care of business behind a strong third quarter and an electric performances from Te-Hina Paopao and Joyce Edwards.
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Like many South Carolina wins this year, the game started off slow and Texas pulled ahead to an early lead. But South Carolina battled back to make it a one-point deficit at the end of the first quarter, and held the Longhorns back throughout the second frame as well.
A giant third quarter seemed to seal the deal for the Gamecocks: South Carolina outscored Texas 20-9, which extended a 38-35 halftime lead to 58-44. The lead only grew in the fourth quarter, with a number of key 3-pointers sealing the deal for the Gamecocks.
It wasn’t another record-setting outing from Paige Bueckers, but the Huskies still picked up a dominant win on Friday night.
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Now, Bueckers and No. 2 UConn will have a shot at claiming their first national championship in nearly a decade.
The Huskies, thanks to a huge first half from Azzi Fudd, rolled over No. 1 UCLA in the Final Four on Friday night. They grabbed an 85-51 win over the Bruins. That officially sets up a rematch against South Carolina in the national championship game on Sunday afternoon.
Bueckers, who has scored at least 31 points in each of the last three games, was held to just 12 points in Friday’s blowout win. This time, though, it was all Fudd.
Catch up on all the action from Final Four Friday with Yahoo Sports below:
