‘They were better.’ What UConn coach Geno Auriemma had to say about Gamecocks
In a matchup of two women’s basketball heavyweights, Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks got the better of Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies in Monday’s Battle 4 Atlantis clash in the Bahamas.
Led by Aliyah Boston’s 22 points and 15 rebounds, the Gamecocks surged in the second half to take down UConn 73-57.
Auriemma said after the game that the Gamecocks are the better team right now.
“They were better,” Auriemma said. “They were better than us defensively, they were better than us offensively, they were better than us rebounding the ball. So for 30 minutes, we were better. And then for the 10 that matter the most, they were.”
With the win, the Gamecocks avenged a close-fought overtime 63-59 loss to the Huskies in Connecticut last February. The teams will spar again this season on Jan. 27 at Colonial Life Arena. USC defeated UConn the last time they played in Columbia in 2020.
Auriemma said he expects both teams to evolve by the time they play again.
“That’s why you play these games in November,” Auriemma said. “I don’t think Dawn left here thinking like, ‘We just won a national championship.’ And we’re not leaving here thinking we have no chance to win.
“They probably left here thinking, ‘We just beat a really good team, so we must be really good.’ And ... they are.”
South Carolina vs UConn box score
SOUTH CAROLINA (6-0)—Boston 10-19 1-1 22, Saxton 1-3 0-0 2, Beal 3-6 0-0 6, Cooke 8-17 0-1 17, Henderson 5-15 4-4 15, Amihere 0-1 1-4 1, Cardoso 2-2 0-0 4, Littleton 2-4 0-0 6, Hall 0-0 0-0 0, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 31-67 6-10 73
UCONN (3-1)—Edwards 3-6 0-0 6, Nelson-Ododa 3-4 0-2 6, Bueckers 8-19 2-2 19, Westbrook 4-6 4-4 14, Williams 3-10 4-4 10, Juhasz 1-4 0-0 2, Muhl 0-0 0-0 0, Fudd 0-1 0-0 0, McLean 0-0 0-0 0, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 22-50 10-12 57
Halftime—UConn 36-33. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 5-18 (Boston 1-4, Beal 0-1, Cooke 1-4, Henderson 1-5, Littleton 2-4), UConn 3-8 (Bueckers 1-3, Westbrook 2-2, Williams 0-2, Juhasz 0-1). Assists—South Carolina 12 (Henderson 6), UConn 18 (Bueckers 7). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—South Carolina 42 (Boston 7-15), UConn 25 (Juhasz 3-3). Total Fouls—South Carolina 18, UConn 13. Technical Fouls—None. A—1,171.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 3:02 PM with the headline "‘They were better.’ What UConn coach Geno Auriemma had to say about Gamecocks."
