It’s official. South Carolina women’s basketball will play for its second consecutive national championship on Sunday after defeating Texas in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
The Gamecocks, who have won the national title in three of the last four seasons, dominated Texas in the Final Four on Friday night, coming away with a 74-57 win despite trailing after the first quarter.
South Carolina outscored the Longhorns 36-22 in the second half, as the Gamecocks got hot offensively. The win marks South Carolina’s third in four attempts against Texas this season, as it also defeated the Longhorns in the SEC championship game a few weeks ago.
Coach Dawn Staley is looking for her fourth national championship at South Carolina, with the Gamecocks taking on the winner of UCLA and UConn on Sunday afternoon.
USA TODAY Sports followed the game with updates and highlights below:
South Carolina vs Texas Final Four live score
This section will be updated.
South Carolina advances to the national championship after defeating Texas 74-47 on Friday night. The Gamecocks will take on the winner of UCLA-UConn on Sunday afternoon as they look for their second straight title win.
Dawn Staley hyped after win
Staley was hyped after the Gamecocks’ third win over Texas this season, signaling ‘one more’ to South Carolina fans after the game.
Here’s a full clip of Staley as she walked back into the tunnel postgame:
South Carolina rides big 2nd half to reach national championship
The Gamecocks outscored Texas 36-22 in the second half to earn a 74-57 win in the Final Four. South Carolina now shifts its attention to the winner of UCLA-UConn and will look for its second consecutive national championship and third title in four years with a win.
Jordan Lee a bright spot for Texas
Texas is getting a big performance from freshman Jordan Lee, who hits a 3-pointer to reach 16 points on the night so far. Lee is 6 of 10 shooting with three 3-pointers against South Carolina and is making a case to be a huge contributor next year.
Dawn Staley cracks smile after player goes down
It was not all scowls on the sidelines for Staley. There were also smiles. After senior guard Bree Hall knocked down a three to give the Gamecocks a 41-35 advantage with 9:35 remaining in the third quarter, Hall appeared to lose her footing and fell down. The fall happened right in front of South Carolina’s bench and elicited a laugh from Staley on the sidelines. On Thursday, Staley said Hall is ‘in my top five in my 25 years of coaching.’ Hall has played four seasons under Staley at South Carolina (2021-25) and the duo have won two championships together so far. ‘(Hall is) definitely underrated as a defender. I think our game sometimes looks at stats. She’s not one that’s going to steal the ball. She’s one that’s going to get your top scorer shooting at an inefficient clip and that’s her claim to fame,’ Staley said of Hall. ‘And she’s really locked in when it comes to that side because she knows that she’s got to do her part. And her part is a big part that we rely on to get wins. And that’s not scoring a whole lot of points. It’s actually preventing our opponents from scoring a lot of points.’
South Carolina takes double-digit lead
South Carolina is taking control in the second half, as it leads Texas 52-41 late in the third quarter. The Gamecocks have outscored Texas 14-6 so far in third quarter.
How many fouls in women’s college basketball?
A player fouls out with five.
Jordan Lee Texas basketball stats
Texas freshman Jordan Lee scored a team-high 10 points in the first half. Her season-high is 20, coming in a December game against James Madison.
Chloe Kitts’ parents expected Final Four run
Kitts’ family has high expectations for her daughter and South Carolina, as they said they expected the Gamecocks to make a Final Four this season.
Here’s more from Pensacola News Journal’s Ben Grieco, who interviewed Kitts’ parents on Friday:
Who is Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda?
Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda is a starting guard for Texas and had six points through two quarters against South Carolina in the Final Four.
The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game this season, and put a nice spin move on a Gamecocks defender in the first half. The lengthy guard is also a strong defender.
Madison Booker in foul trouble
That’s going to leave a mark. With 2:29 still to play in the first half, Madison Booker has picked up her third foul. Booker, whose seven points are second-most for Texas, immediately heads to the bench.
Who is Madison Booker?
Madison Booker, Texas’ leading scorer this season, is off to a hot start in the Final Four with six points on 3 of 3 shooting. The SEC player of the year this season averaged 16.5 points with 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this season.
Booker also won the Big 12 player of the year award as a freshman last season. She and Texas guard Rori Harmon spearheaded an effort to bus students to the Longhorns’ matchup with South Carolina tonight.
Who is Dawn Staley?
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is no stranger to the Final Four, as she’s coaching in her seventh with the Gamecocks. South Carolina has reached this stage in five consecutive seasons.
The Gamecocks got down early in the first quarter against Texas, but Staley didn’t call a timeout as she likes her players to play through mistakes. The Greenville News’ Lulu Kesin has more on Staley’s philosophy:
Madison Booker cooking early
Booker, the SEC player of the year, is off to a fast start in Tampa. Booker is shooting 3 of 3 from the field with six points midway through the first quarter, as the Longhorns lead 12-4.
Texas is going to need a big performance from its best player.
Texas-South Carolina gets underway
Texas gets out to an early 4-0 lead after a pair of free throws from Taylor Jones proceeds a nice bucket from Madison Booker. Much better start for the Longhorns than the SEC championship game against the Gamecocks a few weeks ago.
Texas students arrive pregame via bus
The Texas student section has arrived.
A bus full of Texas students traveled 1,150 miles from Austin, Texas, to Tampa Bay, Florida, via charter bus to cheer on the Texas women’s basketball team in the Final Four, where they will face the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks for the fourth time this season.
Head coach Vic Schaefer revealed that he, Madison Booker and Rori Harmon covered the students’ all-expense paid trip. All three were on hand to welcome the students to Tampa Bay with high-fives.
“I’m so glad y’all are here. Thank you for enduring the ride… Hopefully you’ll stay a while,” Schaefer told the arriving students on the charter bus. “We’re so, so thankful for you guys for your loyalty, your trust and your confidence… Bring it tonight now.”
On Thursday, Schaefer revealed that Booker and Harmon spearheaded the effort to bring in the Longhorn students.
“Booker and Rori have really ramrodded this deal. Bought the tickets. Got them some hotel rooms. So we’re excited that we’re going to be able to have some University of Texas students be able to come to the Final Four and enjoy cheering on their team,’ Schaefer said Thursday. ‘I think it’s the 17-hour bus ride.”
– Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY Sports
Texas rocking A’Ja Wilson’s signature shoes
The Longhorns are all wearing A’Ja Wilson’s signature Nike shoes, according to the women’s NCAA Tournament account on X.
Wilson, one of the best players in the WNBA, is a South Carolina alum:
Chloe Kitts stats
Here’s a look at Kitts’ per-game averages this season:
2024-25: 10.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game on 52.5% shooting.
Here are Kitts’ final lines through each of South Carolina’s first four women’s NCAA Tournament games:
vs. Tennessee Tech: 10 points, six rebounds, two assists
vs. Indiana: 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists
vs. Maryland: 15 points, 11 assists, one assist
vs. Duke: 14 points, four rebounds
First look at Final Four court
With South-Carolina-Texas being the first Final Four matchup of the women’s NCAA Tournament, here’s a look at the quiet arena before the Gamecocks and Longhorns get underway:
Starting lineups for South Carolina-Texas
Here are the starting lineups for both South Carolina and Texas:
South Carolina
G Te-Hina Paopao
F Sania Feagin
F Chloe Kitts
G Bree Hall
G Raven Johnson
Texas
G Rori Harmon
G Shay Holle
G Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda
F Madison Booker
F Taylor Jones
South Carolina women’s basketball record
Staley’s South Carolina team enters the women’s Final Four with a record of 34-3, including a conference record of 15-1.
South Carolina vs Texas women’s basketball odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, April 4
Spread: South Carolina (-5.5)
Over/under: 124.5
Moneyline: South Carolina -275 | Texas +220
South Carolina enters its Final Four matchup against Texas as the favorites by over five points, despite nailbiter wins over Maryland and Duke in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively. It will see a Texas team that was able to pull away from TCU in the third quarter of the Elite Eight after being challenged for most of its game against Tennessee.
Women’s March Madness championship odds
Here are the odds of the teams in the Final Four, with the lone 2 seed, UConn, leading the pack.
UConn -170
South Carolina +240
UCLA +800
Texas +900
South Carolina vs. Texas picks and predictions
Our experts from across the USA TODAY Network are unanimous (4-0) on who will win the Final Four game between the Gamecocks and Longhorns. Take a look at their full bracket predictions.
Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: South Carolina
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: South Carolina
Meg L. Hall, For The Win: South Carolina
Cora Hall, Knoxville News: South Carolina
What time is South Carolina vs Texas today?
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
South Carolina and Texas are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET from Amalie Arena in Tampa as the early leg of the Final Four. UCLA vs UConn will follow.
Where to watch South Carolina vs Texas?
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: Fubo (free trial) | ESPN+
South Carolina and Texas’ game will air live on ESPN. Streaming options include ESPN+ and Fubo, the latter of which offers a free trial.