It would prove to be the final advantage Mississippi State would enjoy on the evening.
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SC stretched out a 13-point lead in the first half as it dominated the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second. “So we’re looking to break into that market”, said Staley, who built USC primarily with in-state players.
SC coach Dawn Staley won her first national championship Sunday night with a 67-55 victory over Mississippi State at the American Airlines Center. It was her second straight spectacular performance.
“I don’t think people really believed we could win with the personnel that we had, and the adversity that we withstood”, she said. “You can’t dictate the play of someone based on how short they are”.
While the team was presented with the Championship Trophy and Coaches trophy, and while they cut down the nets, the Gamecock faithful stood in the stands to continue to cheer on their team.
Mississippi State led 64-62 before a replay review gave Katie Lou Samuelson the two free throws that tied the game. Thomas Robinson finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, the first time the Lakers had three double-doubles in a game since December 16, 2014 (Wesley Johnson, Jordan Hill and Ed Davis).
Junior guard Victoria Vivians is another important part of this team. Schaefer said he made it clear in the postgame locker room that he doesn’t expect much – if any – dropoff. It keeps me engaged. “I’ve been trying for so many years to help her get rid of the feeling from (the 1991 overtime loss to Tennessee)”, Ryan said. I visited my mother and put it around her neck. It really is such a simple prize – wood, a piece of glass, a nice gold disc on top – but it means so much more to Staley.
When the moment mattered most, it was the pair of Wilson and Gray that proved to be the difference as the duo hit back-to-back hoops after the Bulldogs cut the lead to 4 in the fourth quarter.
Third time a charm?
Auriemma’s team had a record 111-game winning streak ended on a stunning buzzer-beater by Mississippi State’s Morgan William in the national semifinals. Staley, now also the head coach for the USA Women’s National Team, didn’t need three tries in the National Championship game as a coach, leading the Gamecocks to a title in their first championship game appearance.
SC held a 40-27 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs would pull to within 54-50, before SC would counter with a pair of baskets to take their lead back out to eight with 4:47 to go in the game. Wilson is a 6-foot-5-inch first team All American. Coates has been out with an ankle injury for the entire tournament and Wilson’s had to carry the load inside. She didn’t play down the stretch as Schaefer went with Holmes.
Gray (18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) was voted to the All-Tournament team along with Wilson for SC. The Bulldogs had eight assists and 10 turnovers, while the Gamecocks had seven assists and 11 turnovers.
Mississippi State’s best was not good enough for a national championship. But don’t shed a tear for the Huskies – it appears they’ll be back in the title picture very soon.
But nine players will be back. Only UConn has won both titles in the same season, doing so in 2004 and again in 2014.
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Staley’s team trailed for just the first five minutes of Sunday’s championship game at the American Airlines Center, but after recovering from a slow start, dominated for the rest of the game.
