TAMPA, Fla. — South Carolina women's basketball didn't punch first but ultimately, that didn't matter.
After fighting back from a first-quarter deficit, the No. 1 Gamecocks (34-3) came back to beat No. 1 Texas (35-4) 74-57 in the Final Four on Friday in Amalie Arena.
With A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston and other former players in attendance, coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina advanced to a second consecutive national championship game.
South Carolina will face the winner of No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 UConn, who tip off shortly after the conclusion of the first game, at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Gamecocks, who went undefeated last season, will play for their fourth national championship, all under Staley.
Senior guard Bree Hall turned to get the crowd active with just two minutes left, smiling at the thought of extending her career with the program as long as it can go.
After Texas and star Madison Booker came out firing, the Gamecocks were in need of an immediate answer and freshman forward Joyce Edwards answered the call. Despite the fact she hadn't scored over six points since March 21, she was dominant in the paint, challenging her slower defenders.
Edwards finished with 13 points but scored six of them in the seven minutes she played off the bench in the opening quarter. With her impact, the Gamecocks were down just 19-18 to start the second.
Te-Hina Paopao's team-high 14 points and 3-point shooting were instrumental to the comeback effort as well, using her spot up accuracy to separate the score in the second half, especially with Booker in foul trouble. After starting 3-of-3 from the field, Booker picked up her second foul and was forced to sit. Early in the third, she picked up another which heavily impacted Texas' star's minutes.
Booker finished 5-of-11 from the field with 11 points for the Longhorns. South Carolina sends Texas home with three wins to its one during the 2024-25 season. Against Vic Schaefer, Staley is 16-4 overall, 8-0 in the postseason and 3-0 in the NCAA tournament.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina women's basketball back in NCAA title game, tops Texas
