South Carolina beats UConn for 2nd NCAA women's basketball title

Dawn Staley and South Carolina buttoned up on defence and won their second national championship, stifling UConn for a 64-49 victory Sunday night that ended the Huskies' undefeated streak in title games.

Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 26 points, Aliyah Boston added 11 points and 16 rebounds, and the Gamecocks handed Geno Auriemma's Huskies their first loss in 12 NCAA title games.

Laeticia Amihere of Mississauga, Ont., added two points and collected a rebound in nine minutes of play for the Gamecocks, while Aaliyah Edwards of Kingston, Ont., scored eight points for the Huskies while also adding two assists and two rebounds.

The fans are feeling the celebration!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WFinalFour?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WFinalFour</a> <a href="https://t.co/kh0jiySqxk">pic.twitter.com/kh0jiySqxk</a>

With Staley calling the shots in a $5,000 US letterman jacket, South Carolina took UConn to school on the boards and capped a wire-to-wire run as the No. 1 team in the country in The Associated Press poll. The Gamecocks also won the championship in 2017 with A'ja Wilson leading the way.

This time it was Boston — the AP Player of the Year — and her fellow South Carolina post players who dominated on the game's biggest stage. The Gamecocks outrebounded UConn by 49-24, including a 21-6 advantage on offensive boards. They also clamped down on star Paige Bueckers and the Huskies on defense, just like they did all season long.

It was South Carolina's night from the start. The Gamecocks (35-2) jumped out to an 11-2 lead, grabbing nearly every rebound on both ends of the court. They led to 22-8 after one quarter much to the delight of their faithful fans, who made the trip to Minneapolis to be part of the