Women's championship game set: It'll be South Carolina vs. UConn

No. 2 UConn took down No. 1 Stanford in a hard-nosed game to close out Friday night’s Final Four matchups. The Huskies won 63-58 to move on to their first championship game since 2016. 

Both teams played tough defense from start to finish. The fourth quarter was the first to see either team score 20 or more points in the 10-minute span. UConn had 24 and Stanford 21 in that final frame. 

While UConn led for over 36 minutes in the contest, its lead was never safe. The largest lead of the night was the Huskies’ eight-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. 

UConn needed a complete team effort to win its 12th Final Four matchup. Minnesota native Paige Bueckers led her squad with 14 points, followed by Evina Westbrook with 12 and Christyn Williams with 10. Three other Huskies finished with eight or more points. 

Frontcourt play was a big question for UConn entering this game. After losing Dorka Juhasz to a wrist injury in the Elite Eight, the Huskies seemed to be outmatched against a very lengthy Stanford team. Not only did Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa step up with a combined 18 rebounds, but the whole team also pitched in with another 38 for a grand total of 46. 

They’ll have another tall task literally and metaphorically on Sunday when they take on Aliyah Boston and the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks. Boston brought down 18 rebounds on her own in the win over No. 1 Louisville earlier on Friday night.

UConn will face off with South Carolina on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.

After falling just short in last year’s Final Four, No. 1 South Carolina took care of business against No. 1 Louisville, 72-59, to advance to the title game.

Double-doubles are typical for Gamecocks star Aliyah Boston, but the Naismith Player of the Year took it to the next level by scoring 23 points, 18 rebounds and four assists — and even hit a 3-pointer to match Louisville's output from the entire team.

Not only did lock in her 29th double-double of the season, she also owns a new single-season rebounding record!

51-38, Gamecocks, 4:34 to go in the third.

— GamecockWBB (@GamecockWBB)

South Carolina’s defense stifled Louisville offensively. The Gamecocks limited leading scorer Hailey Van Lith, keeping her to only 4 for 10 shooting. She had only 9 points after reaching 20+ in the four previous NCAA tournament games.

Senior forward Emily Engstler stepped up, scoring 18 points while pulling down nine boards, but fouled out with less than 5 minutes in the fourth. 

Engstler retreated to the bench in tears feeling the national championship hopes slip away, something South Carolina knew well just a year ago. 

South Carolina will next play for the program's second national title.

"We're not going home... We've got ONE MORE GAME!"
- x

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)

Four tickets have been punched for a trip to Minneapolis. South Carolina-Louisville and Stanford-UConn make up the Final Four. 

You can follow our live updates from the South Carolina vs. Louisville game here and Stanford vs. UConn here.

All but Louisville competed in last year’s semifinals. 

No. 1 South Carolina squashed No. 10 Creighton's Cinderella run in a 80-50 Sunday rout to reach the Final Four. South Carolina last won the national title in 2017.

No. 1 Stanford beat No. 2 Texas Sunday, 59-50. The Cardinal is trying to win two in a row.

No. 2 UConn marked its 14th straight Final Four bid by outlasting No. 1 NC State 91-87 in a wild 2OT game.

No. 1 Louisville became the final team to win in the Elite Eight. The Cardinals bested No. 3 Michigan 62-50 to return the semifinals for the fourth time.

The last four standing will meet Friday, April 1, with the champion crowned April 3. ;

The 2022 Final Four is set.

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)

No. 1 Louisville joins three other top seeds to punch tickets to the Final Four after defeating No. 3 Michigan 62-50. 

The Cardinals pulled away in the fourth quarter outsourcing the Wolverines 16-7. Cardinal guard Hailey Van Lith topped the box score with 22 points. 

Backcourt mate Emily Engstler pulled a monstrous 16 rebounds making up for scoring just three points on 1-9. 

Turnovers kneecapped Michigan’s attempts to rally back. Louisville scored 22 points off 21 Wolverine lost possessions. ;Wolverine Naz Hillmon led Michigan with 18 points and 11 rebounds, but contributed four turnovers. 

Next, Louisville faces No. 1 South Carolina for a shot at the national championship game. 

Click or tap here to view the bracket

No. 2 UConn defeated No. 1 NC State 91-87 in a double overtime thriller, and the streak survives — barely. The Huskies advance to their 14th straight Final Four. 

Huskies guard Paige Bueckers dominated in both overtimes scoring 15 points in extra time. She led all scores with 27 points and six rebounds. 

UConn led for most of the game, but NC State refused to quit, taking its first lead since 2-0 to start the fourth-quarter and later forcing double overtime on a heavily-guarded corner three with less than a second left. 

Jakia Brown-Turner, who knocked down the three for the Pack, led NC State with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. 

UConn senior Christyn Williams got the Huskies going early offensively with nine first quarter points and ultimately sent the Wolfpack home, scoring the last four points, putting an exclamation point on the a historic victory. 

No game this far into the NCAA tournament had ever gone to double overtime. It saw 18 ties and 26 game changes,  

Now, the Huskies move on to the Final Four in Minneapolis to play defending champion No. 1 Stanford. 

Click or tap here to view the bracket

 

No. 1 Louisville is eyeing a Final Four berth, but not if No. 3 Michigan has anything to say about it. 

The Cardinals opened up a 13-point lead in the second half, but the Wolverines rallied to close the gap to 45-43 thanks to a 10-4 run to end the third. 

Whoever comes out on top will face No. 1 South Carolina in the Final Four. 

Why not? Let’s play five more minutes of this instant classic. 

NC State guard Jakia Brown-Turner drained a corner three to tie it up 77-77. UConn’s Paige Bueckers took the reins in overtime scoring 10 points. 

Whoever comes out first-ever Elite Eight double overtime game punch their ticket to the Minneapolis. 
 

One quarter gone as No. 1 NC State and No. 2 UConn battle for a spot in the Final Four. The Huskies lead the Wolfpack 11-9. 

Senior guard Christyn Williams jumped out of the gate with 9 quick points. She leads all scorers. 
 

To overtime we go, four quarters wasn’t enough to decide who punches a ticket to the Final Four. 

NC State missed a chance to win it after UConn’s Olivia Nelson-Ododa missed two free throws to put the Huskies on top. 

UConn is 0-5 in NCAA tournament overtime games. 
 

UConn is up on NC State 44-43 with one quarter left as the Final Four hangs in the balance. 

NC State came out determined and came within one early in the third, and despite UConn attempts to go on a run, they end it the same way. 

The Wolfpack hopes to rebound off their shooting struggles; a typical 36% 3-pointing shooting team is just 3-15 from the perimeter. 

UConn asserted its dominance in the second-quarter, expanding the lead to double-digits. Though NC State won’t be going down without a fight, the Wolfpack closed the gap to six to end the half 34-28. 

Huskies forward Dorka Juhász went down with a wrist injury. She laid on the court visibly in pain before being escorted back to the locker room. 

Losing the 6-foot-5 forward may allow NC State star Elissa Cunane more opportunities with UConn starter Olivia Nelson-Ododa in early foul trouble. 
 

Only two spots remain to be filled in the Final Four after No.1 Stanford and South Carolina secured Final Four places on Sunday night. 

Tonight, No. 1 NC State battles No. 2 UConn as NC State looks to reach its first Final Four since 1998. That is followed by the final Elite Eight matchup , which features No. 1 Louisville and No. 3 Michigan. An upset by Michigan would mark the first-ever Final Four appearance in program history. 

Here's tonight's schedule (all times ET):

• No. 2 UConn 91, No. 1 South Carolina 87 (2OT)
• No. 1 Louisville 62, No. 3 Michigan 50

Click or tap here for live updates of Louisville vs. Michigan

Two down, two to go. No. 1 Stanford earned the second ticket to the 2022 Final Four with a 59-50 win over No. 2 Texas. This will be Stanford’s third Final Four appearance in the last five tournaments and 15th in program history. The Cardinal remains in the hunt to repeat as national champions. 

As expected, this was a defense-heavy matchup. Both teams came into this game allowing less than 57 points per game this season and they delivered again. Stanford was held to 37.3% from the floor and Texas shot 32.7%. 

No team was ever safe. The largest lead in the matchups was the final nine-point lead from Stanford to close the game. For the most part, it was the Longhorns chasing the Cardinal. Texas came within two with less than three minutes to play, but Stanford held off the final rush. 

Stanford’s Cameron Brink had one heck of a turnaround in the second half after going 0-2 from the field. Brink scored the first 10 points and made six blocks for her team in the second half. Lexi Hull and Haley Jones also showed out with all 14 of Stanford’s points in the fourth quarter. The two combined for 38 on the night.  

Stanford will learn who it will play in Minneapolis after the completion of Monday night’s matchup between No. 1 NC State and No. 2 UConn. 

Click here to view the bracket.

The first ticket to the 2022 Final Four has been punched. No. 1 South Carolina is moving on to its second-straight Final Four with an 80-50 win over No. 10 Creighton. 

The Blue Jays’ tournament run full of program firsts could not overcome the juggernaut that is South Carolina. This year’s longest-lasting Cinderella story made it to the first Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in program history with memorable wins in each round including one over No. 2 Iowa in the final seconds of the second round. 

From the jump, Creighton held its own, only trailing by seven after the first, but the empty possessions began to add up. The Gamecocks continued to apply pressure on both sides of the ball and a 23-9 second quarter created too big of a deficit for the Blue Jays to overcome. 

South Carolina played as well as one team could in the Elite Eight, shooting 28-55 (50.9%) from the field, out-rebounding Creighton 43-23 and turning the ball over seven times. The Gamecocks recorded their 13th game of the season with at least 40 points in the paint. 

Aliyah Boston fell short of her 28th consecutive double-double with 19 points and seven rebounds, but that was mainly due to her playing 26 minutes. Victaria Saxton made up for that with a double-double of her own with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Two more Gamecocks finished in double digits, Destanni Henderson and Brea Beal both scored 12. 

South Carolina will get the winner of No. 1 Louisville and No. 3 Michigan in Minneapolis for a chance at a national championship appearance on Friday, April 1. 

Click here to view the bracket.