A’ja Wilson scored 23 points to help coach Staley and South Carolina win their first national championship with a 67-55 victory over Mississippi State on Sunday night.

Staley made the Final Four three times as a player at Virginia but never won. She also led the Gamecocks to the national semifinals two years ago before losing to Notre Dame.

Once the final buzzer sounded, Staley grabbed the trophy and paraded it around the court high over her head.

“You have to give tribute to the former players,” Staley said. “Go back to my Temple days, they believed in our vision. We took that vision to South Carolina and that vision was we’ll be national champions. If you stick with us and if you’re disciplined, if you believe all these players believed in that. Happy our words came true to them.”

Mississippi State had all the momentum on its side after a shocking win over UConn on Friday night that ended the Huskies’ record 111-game winning streak. The Bulldogs couldn’t muster the same effort against the Gamecocks. Morgan William, who had become the face of the tournament with the game-winner against the Huskies after a 41-point performance against Baylor, was held to just 8 points.

South Carolina (33-4) turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 45-31 advantage midway through the third quarter before the Bulldogs rallied. Mississippi State (34-5) slowly cut into its deficit, getting with 54-50 on Jazzmun Holmes’ jumper. That brought a huge cheer from the thousands of Mississippi State fans who made the 8-hour trip from Starkville, Mississippi.

But that’s as close as the Bulldogs could get.

The victory in front of a sellout crowd came one day after the Gamecocks men’s basketball team lost in the Final Four in Phoenix.

Wilson, who grew up in South Carolina, blocked a shot on one end of the court and then hit a short jumper in the lane that started a 12-2 run to put the game away. Staley emptied her bench with less than a minute left and Wilson left with tears of joy. The junior center sees a repeat in the future for the Gamecocks.

“Man, just be with us next year, we’re trying to be in this same spot next year, we’re going to see how it goes,” Wilson said after winning the most outstanding player award for the Final Four.

The Gamecocks won the title without star center Alaina Coates, who hurt her ankle in the SEC Tournament. She didn’t even travel with the team to Dallas.

“Our players never fretted, ‘La’ we got you a ring. We got you a ring,” Staley said of Coates. “Allisha Gray, Kaela Davis they all believed in it. They spent a year getting to know our team, getting to know our system. Got the opportunity to play and we become national champions. It’s incredible belief and discipline and can’t thank them enough for choosing South Carolina.”

The Bulldogs lost twice to the Gamecocks this year, dropping a game in South Carolina in the regular season and then in the SEC Tournament title game. Mississippi State Vic Schaefer fell to 0-9 all-time against South Carolina.

No team had a tougher road to the championship then the second-seeded Bulldogs. They were trying to become the third team in NCAA history to beat three number No. 1 seeds en route to the title. Tennessee did it in 1987 and Louisiana Tech accomplished the same feat a year later. The Bulldogs had already knocked off top-seed Baylor and UConn to get to the championship game.

This was the sixth time in NCAA Tournament history that teams from the same conference played for the national championship, including three by the SEC. Tennessee won both of those matchups, the last coming in 1996 when the Lady Vols beat Georgia.</s>GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Gonzaga and North Carolina have turned their attention toward Monday’s national championship game.

The teams are holding news conferences and a closed practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday afternoon after both earned tough wins in the national semifinals the night before.

The Zags beat South Carolina 77-73 in the first game. Then the Tar Heels beat Oregon 77-76 in the nightcap.

Gonzaga (37-1) is in the Final Four for the first time, while North Carolina (32-7) is in the Final Four for a record 20th time. That includes last year’s run to the national championship game, where the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.</s>PHOENIX (WNCN/AP) — Gonzaga held off a South Carolina rally to win 77-73 in the first of two Final Four games on Saturday evening.

The Bulldogs, who have lost once in 38 games this season, play the winner of the Oregon-North Carolina game for the national championship Monday night.

Watch the UNC-Oregon game starting at 8:49 p.m. on CBS North Carolina

Gonzaga, which reaches the final game for the first time in school history, was up by as many as 14 points in the second half.

But, South Carolina displayed more of its patented second-half magic in the NCAA tournament.

Down by 14, the Gamecocks came roaring back to take the lead with 7:06 remaining.

Their run reached 16-0 at that point before Gonzaga ended its scoreless drought.

The Gamecocks scored on six straight possessions.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga, so smooth on offense most of the game, went over three minutes without a score.

However, Gonzaga then went on a 7-0 run to come back and hold off the Gamecocks.

Before the Final Four game, South Carolina trailed at half three times in the tournament, and the Gamecocks have outscored the opposition in the second half by 54 points.</s>With Gonzaga shots falling, the University of Phoenix Stadium clock ticking and the Arizona sun still shining but metaphorically setting on South Carolina’s season, the result of Saturday’s first Final Four game seemed like a foregone conclusion. The scoreboard read Gonzaga 65, South Carolina 51. The midway point of the second half neared.

It’s around that time, though, that the Gamecocks turn into the Comeback Kings. They cut the lead to single digits. Then to two possessions. They got to within two. They tied the game. And finally, incredibly, they took the lead. For the fourth time in five magical games, they had turned a second-half deficit into a late lead.

But for the first time in five games, they met resistance that was just slightly too strong. Gonzaga responded to the 16-0 run with a 7-0 spurt of its own, and held on down the stretch for a 77-73 victory.

The Zags will advance to Monday’s national title game to play the winner of Saturday’s second semifinal between North Carolina and Oregon. South Carolina’s surprise run is over.

Nigel Williams-Goss had 23 points to lead Gonzaga, which used a balance attack behind Williams-Goss to find its way through, around and over South Carolina’s stifling defense. Zach Collins had 14 points off the bench. Przemek Karnowski had 13. Jordan Mathews had 12.

Sindarius Thornwell, who had been ill earlier in the week, finished with 15 for South Carolina, but didn’t play at the level that he had throughout the tournament.

The biggest shot of the game for Gonzaga came from Collins. Down two after South Carolina’s surge, he stepped out to the arc and launched a 3-pointer. It smacked into the back rim and backboard simultaneously, died, and fell through the net.

Gonzaga regained the lead, and would never relinquish it.

It held on in part due to great defensive execution on South Carolina’s final possession. The Gamecocks got the ball down three with 12 seconds remaining. With under five seconds left and the ball in the hands of Thornwell on the perimeter, Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins fouled the Gamecocks’ top scorer. It was a textbook example of how to employ the ‘foul up three’ strategy. Thornwell did what he could — he made the first free throw, and missed the second intentionally to give his teammates a chance at an offensive rebound — but Gonzaga’s Killian Tillie pulled down the rebound to put the Zags in celebration mode.

The game opened with Gonzaga’s one big matchup advantage playing out as some expected. Karnowski, Johnathan Williams and Collins all scored in the first four minutes as Gonzaga flooded the paint on offense. Mark Few went to his twin-towers lineup early with Karnowski and Collins, both 7-footers, alongside each other. The Zags battled through South Carolina’s physical defense to carve out good angles for post entries, and had a lot of success inside.

South Carolina tried to play Gonzaga’s big men one-on-one when possible, but the double teams started to come more often as the first half wore on. The reason for South Carolina’s hesitance to bring help was made clear when it did, though. Both Silas Melson and Jordan Mathews hit 3-pointers off kick-outs. Gonzaga went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Williams-Goss also had an outstanding half, and an outstanding game, on both ends. He was particularly hot from midrange. He knocked down runners, pull-up jumpers and off-balance shots from 10-15 feet out, and made five of his six 2-point attempts. The junior point guard had 12 points at the break.

The one worrying moment of the half for Gonzaga came when Karnowski went up for a layup on the left side of the rim. He was rejected by South Carolina’s Chris Silva, and Silva’s follow-through caught Karnowski in the eye. He lay on the court for a minute before going to the bench, and didn’t return in the first half.

South Carolina kept pace with Gonzaga’s offense for much of the half despite a quiet performance from Thornwell. The senior star made just one field goal and had only five points. But Justin McKie, Silva and Duane Notice stepped up, and had the Gamecocks within two at 38-36 with just over two minutes to play in the half.

Those last two minutes turned out to be a crucial stretch of the game, though. Gonzaga closed with a 7-0 flurry, capped off by a Mathews 3, and went into the locker room up nine, 45-36. Karnowski returned for the second half after seeing an eye specialist in the locker room, and got right back to work. He scored on a putback, then drew a double and passed out to Williams-Goss at the top of the key for a 3 that extended Gonzaga’s lead to 11. Gonzaga would eventually push the lead to 14, but South Carolina responded, just as they have done all tournament. Silva completed a three-point play; P.J. Dozier hit a jumper; Thornwell drained a 3; Dozier splashed another mid-range shot. On the other end, South Carolina picked up its defense. Eventually, two free throws from Silva whittled the lead all the way down to two. Then Dozier tied the game: Moments later, two Rakym Felder free throws completed the 16-0 run. The Zags had a response of their own, though. Collins’ 3 squirmed in, and the favorites regained the lead. Karnowski scored two buckets in a row to push the advantage back to five. Karnowski looking to restore order for the Zags! #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/AZ4qrWv7Wl The teams went back and forth down the stretch, with Dozier, Thornwell and Silva keeping South Carolina within touching distance. Silva’s two free throws cut the lead to two. Gonzaga’s defense in the final two minutes, however, was outstanding. The Gamecocks got no clean looks at the rim. They got the ball down three with 12 seconds remaining, but Gonzaga smartly fouled before a shot could be taken. The rebound of the intentionally missed second free throw iced the victory, and sent the Zags on to Monday night’s national championship game.</s>GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Gonzaga and North Carolina have turned their attention toward Monday’s national championship game.

The teams are holding news conferences and a closed practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday afternoon after both earned tough wins in the national semifinals the night before.

The Zags beat South Carolina 77-73 in the first game. Then the Tar Heels beat Oregon 77-76 in the nightcap.

Gonzaga (37-1) is in the Final Four for the first time, while North Carolina (32-7) is in the Final Four for a record 20th time. That includes last year’s run to the national championship game, where the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.</s>GLENDALE, Ariz. — Gonzaga weathered a furious second-half rally by South Carolina and held on to beat the Gamecocks 77-73 at the Final Four on Saturday night.

South Carolina reeled off 16 straight points to take a 67-65 lead with 7:06 to play. Zach Collins answered with a 3-pointer to put Gonzaga back on top and the Bulldogs held on from there.

The Zags never trailed again, CBS Sports reprots.

They’re now 37-1 on the season.

Collins, a 7-foot freshman, had an impressive stat line: 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks in 23 minutes of play.

Gonzaga advances to Monday night’s title game against the winner of Saturday night’s Oregon-North Carolina agame.

Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 for the Bulldogs. P.J. Dozier had 17 points for the Gamecocks.</s>GLENDALE, Ariz. — Gonzaga and North Carolina have turned their attention toward Monday’s national championship game.

The teams are holding news conferences and a closed practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday afternoon after both earned tough wins in the national semifinals the night before.

The Zags beat South Carolina 77-73 in the first game. Then the Tar Heels beat Oregon 77-76 in the nightcap.

Gonzaga (37-1) is in the Final Four for the first time, while North Carolina (32-7) is in the Final Four for a record 20th time. That includes last year’s run to the national championship game, where the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.</s>Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points, Gonzaga’s big men combined for 27 and the Bulldogs used some last-second strategy for a 77-73 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in a matchup of first-time teams at the Final Four.

The Bulldogs’ 7-footers, senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins, took care of things on both ends of the court as they combined for 18 rebounds. Collins also had six blocks.

Gonzaga (37-1) will face the winner between North Carolina and Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.

Williams-Goss missed a shot with 12.7 seconds left and South Carolina rebounded and called a timeout trailing 75-72. South Carolina passed the ball around and Gonzaga fouled Sindarius Thornwell with 3.5 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Killian Tillie rebounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.

Williams-Goss, a second-team All-American, led the Bulldogs to a 14-point lead in the second half but it disappeared quickly as the Gamecocks (26-11) went on a 14-point run to grab a 67-65 lead with 7:06 to play.

Collins and Karnowksi then accounted for the next 7 points, including a 3-pointer by Collins and a thundering dunk by Karnowski.

Still, South Carolina wasn’t done. The seventh-seeded Gamecocks scored 5 straight to get within 74-72 with just over 2 minutes left.

PJ Dozier led the Gamecocks with 17 points and Thornwell, the leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament at 25.8 points per game, finished with 15 on 4-for-12 shooting after starting slow.

Karnowski went down on the court in the first half after being hit in the face as he took a shot underneath the basket. He left for the last 5 minutes of the half, but Collins picked him up, finishing with 8 points at halftime.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks entered the tournament having last won a game in 1973. They had four wins to reach the Final Four, including victories over the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds in the East region.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs had made three Elite Eights without advancing to the Final Four.

Gonzaga meets the winner of the North Carolina-Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.</s> Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points, Gonzaga’s big men combined for 27 and the Bulldogs used some last-second strategy for a 77-73 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in a matchup of first-time teams at the Final Four.

The Bulldogs’ 7-footers, senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins, took care of things on both ends of the court as they combined for 18 rebounds. Collins also had six blocks.

Gonzaga (37-1) will face the winner between North Carolina and Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.

Williams-Goss missed a shot with 12.7 seconds left and South Carolina rebounded and called a timeout trailing 75-72. South Carolina passed the ball around and Gonzaga fouled Sindarius Thornwell with 3.5 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Killian Tillie rebounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.</s>GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points, Gonzaga’s big men combined for 27 and the Bulldogs used some last-second strategy for a 77-73 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in a matchup of first-time teams at the Final Four.

The Bulldogs’ 7-footers, senior Przemek Karnowski and freshman Zach Collins, took care of things on both ends of the court as they combined for 18 rebounds. Collins also had six blocks.

Gonzaga (37-1) will face the winner between North Carolina and Oregon for the national championship on Monday night.

Williams-Goss missed a shot with 12.7 seconds left and South Carolina rebounded and called a timeout trailing 75-72. South Carolina passed the ball around and Gonzaga fouled Sindarius Thornwell with 3.5 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Killian Tillie rebounded for Gonzaga, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to cement the game.

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Men's basketball Gonzaga defeats South Carolina 77–73 to advance to the title game on April 3.