South Carolina coach Dawn Staley made three Final Fours as a player at Virginia in the early 1990s but never won the title. For 26 years, she’s lived with the regret that she never won an NCAA title. Staley coached the University of South Carolina their first women’s basketball national title Sunday night, 67-55 over Mississippi State, behind a 23-point, 10-rebound performance from Gamecocks junior forward A’ja Wilson. The win was the culmination of the Gamecocks climb under Staley, who was hired in 2008. First, South Carolina became an SEC power, and two years ago, advanced to their first-ever Final Four. Staley, who won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA and was a six-time WNBA all-star, built a program attractive enough to land top recruits, like Wilson, who was the top player in the 2014 class, and top transfers, like guard Kaela Davis, who came to Columbia from Georgia Tech for the chance to compete for a national title. Staley’s team trailed for just the first five minutes of Sunday’s championship game at the American Airlines Center, but after recovering from a slow start, dominated for the rest of the game. The Gamecocks made 46 % of their shots, all while not making a single three-point shot. South Carolina didn’t even attempt a three-pointer until late in the second quarter. Mississippi State’s defense can completely disrupt an opponent’s offensive game plan, and the fact that the Bulldogs like to use so much of the shot clock while they hold possession, it makes it hard for opponents to keep up. "I can't put into words how much it meant to win the game for coach," Wilson said. South Carolina was able to dictate the game with their up-tempo offense, and continually worked the ball around the court and under the basket to Wilson. Wilson grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a put back shot with 1:40 remaining to essentially seal the win for South Carolina. As Mississippi State called for a timeout, Wilson stomped her feet and yelled, urging on her teammates for the game’s final stretch. Wilson’s strong offensive night, combined with the sharp-shooting of guard Allisha Gray, who added 18 points, helped the Gamecocks build as much as a 14-point lead in the third quarter. The Bulldogs rallied late in the third quarter and cut the lead to four points, after a steal and layup from guard Morgan William and free throws from center Teaira McCowan, but the charge was short-lived. Davis drained a jump shot at the third-quarter buzzer to take a 52-44 lead heading into the final quarter. South Carolina’s defense, meanwhile, frustrated a Mississippi State offense that had been so prolific at times in this tournament, with three 90-point performances in March. But the Gamecocks continually pressured Bulldogs star guard Morgan William, who hit just one basket in the first half and was benched for half of the first quarter after an early turnover and foul. 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. 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. © Gannett Co., Inc. 2017. All Rights Reserved
South Carolina defeats fellow Southeastern Conference team Mississippi State 67–55 for the Gamecocks' first national title.