Gamecocks Finish Season as National Runner-Up

TAMPA, Fla. – No. 2/2 South Carolina dropped an 82-59 decision to No. 3/3 UConn in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game at Amalie Arena. The Gamecocks finished the season with a 35-4 record and National Runner-Up honors for the first time in their four National Championship game appearances.

The game got off to a fast start with a Te-Hina Paopao 3-pointer at the top of the arc, and the teams combined for just six missed shots in the opening five minutes of the contest. UConn scored the last five points of the opening quarter to take an early 19-14 lead behind 52.9 percent shooting.

South Carolina fought back with an 8-2 run early in the second to pull within three, but the Huskies continued to inch away and took a 10-point lead into halftime.

UConn continued to out-shoot the Gamecocks in the third quarter, also holding an edge on the glass to stretch out their lead and close out the victory.

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

• South Carolina’s 2021 signing class, ranked No. 1 in the nation and led by Sania Feagin and Bree Hall in their final year on eligibility, played in four NCAA Final Fours, including three national championship games, and posted a 144-7 record. Both the total wins and the .954 winning percentage are the best four-year marks in program history.
• The Gamecocks’ three championship game appearances in the last four years are the most in the modern era of college athletics. The program’s four championship game showings in the last 10 tournaments are more than any other program in that time.
• Freshman Joyce Edwards picked up NCAA Final Four All-Tournament honors after averaging 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the weekend.
• Sophomores Tessa Johnson and  MiLaysia Fulwiley were also bright spots in the final game, finishing with 10 and nine points, respectively. Fulwiley went 4-of-7 from the field and handed out four assists as well.