Gamecocks Edge out Duke in Back-and-Forth Battle
The defending national champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, have faced challenges on their path to a national title. They narrowly defeated the Duke Blue Devils 54-50. South Carolina started strong, dominating the first quarter. However, the Blue Devils fought back, outscoring the Gamecocks 20 to 12 in the third quarter, giving them a 6 point lead. Fortunately, Chloe Kitts and Sania Fegans combined for 26 points, helping South Carolina secure the victory.
Every team left has beaten [South Carolina] once already, said Harlee Lowe. “If they want to win, they have to play better.”
DUKE TEAM STATS 31.7% FG%, 7/13 FT, 41 rebounds, 12 assists, 7 steals
SC TEAM STATS 43.2% FG%, 13/20 FT, 30 rebounds, 7 assists, 13 steals
Booker Leads Texas back to its first Final 4 in 22 years
The Texas Longhorns have returned to the Final Four for the first time since 2003 after defeating the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs 58-47. Texas forward Madison Booker led with 18 points and 6 rebounds, while Rori Harmon added 13 points and 5 assists. Hailey Van Lith led TCU with 17 points and eight rebounds in what would be the final game of her collegiate career. Texas will face off against its fellow SEC regular-season champions, South Carolina, on Friday, April 4th at 7:00. South Carolina has defeated the Longhorns once during the regular season and again in the SEC Championship. However, Texas has shown to be a formidable opponent, picking up a win against South Carolina in the regular season.
TEXAS TEAM STATS: 39.3% FG%, 8/11 FT, 66.71% 3pt% , 34 rebounds, 14 assists,
TCU TEAM STATS: 26.7% FG%, 19/21 FT, 20% 3pt%, 38 rebounds, 8 assists
UConn makes its 24th Final 4 appearance
Before the tournament started, it was obvious that the UConn Huskies and the USC Trojans would be an exciting matchup, especially since last season they had an epic showdown in the Elite 8. The Trojans were still without superstar JuJu Walkins, who was out after tearing her ACL in the Round 32. UConn’s star guard, Paige Bueckers, led them with 31 points to win 78-64. Despite USC’s center, Rayah Marshall’s strong performance with a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds, her efforts were not enough to rally them to victory. The Huskies hold the record for most Final 4 appearances with 24.
PAIGE BECKERS: 31 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 50% FG%
RAYAH MARSHALL: 23 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 58.3% FG%
Bruins Take down Tigers in Rematch
UCLA and LSU will face off in the postseason for the second year in a row. Last year, in the Sweet 16, LSU won 76-65, but after losing star post player Angel Reese, the Tigers struggled to have an answer for Lauren Betts. Even though the Tigers lost, Flau’Jae Johnson played lights out by scoring 28 points in the game. UCLA dominated the game from the jump, starting the game with back-to-back blocks by Betts. UCLA will face off against UConn on Friday, April 4th.
“Lauren is such a dominant force on the court, I can’t imagine Sarah [Strong] having to guard her as a freshman,” said Lily Hix.
LAUREN BETTS: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 blocks, 50% FG%
FLAU’JAE JOHNSON: 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 58.8% FG%
