South Carolina's title defense is alive and head coach Dawn Staley couldn't be happier.
"I’m just happy. We work hard for it. We know that when you’ve been to a national championship game … you know what it takes to get back there," Staley said Friday, following No. 1 South Carolina's dominant 74-57 win over No. 1 Texas. "Our players know what it takes. We were just very fortunate to hang in there and persevere. We finally played better and our style of play."
The Gamecocks had struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the 2025 women's NCAA Tournament entering Friday. They survived multiple close contests, including a narrow 54-50 Elite Eight win over No. 2 Duke and a 71-67 Sweet 16 win over No. 4 Maryland. But South Carolina showcased their nation-leading depth vs. Texas.
Now, the Gamecocks are one win away from becoming the first team to win back-to-back national championships since UConn's historic four-peat from 2013 to 2016. South Carolina will face either No. 1 UCLA or No. 2 UConn in the title game Sunday. "Sunday sounds good," Staley teased.
FINAL FOUR: South Carolina vs Texas live updates, score, highlights
Here's how Staley reacted to her team's Final Four win:
Dawn Staley on South Carolina's depth
"It's great. We worked our depth all season long for moments like this," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, who donned a burgundy Gucci tracksuit that matched South Carolina's school colors. "(Sania) Feagin got a little foul trouble early. Chloe (Kitts) got a little foul trouble early. We went deeper into our bench."
Joyce Edwards led the way with 13 points (4-of-11) off the bench.
Dawn Staley on Joyce Edwards
South Carolina's bench leads the nation in points per game (40.6), but was held to only nine points in South ...
