Live from Phoenix, host Howard Megdal is joined by some of The IX Basketball’s NCAA reporters to discuss the women’s Final Four games and look forward to Sunday’s title game between UCLA and South Carolina.
First, Megdal and BIG EAST beat reporter Tee Baker discussed the heated exchange between UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley as the match between the two teams came to a close. South Carolina defeated UConn, 62-48.
“I think I heard a couple different versions of events that took place. I think it was a really unfortunate situation,” Baker said. “I don’t think that it was handled in a way that we expect from coach Auriemma. Unfortunately, tension kind of got high, and I think in the moment some things were said and it was a bad look. I think it was a bad look. I think that we can agree on. [In post-game press conferences], Dawn Staley didn’t really want to address it, Coach Auriemma sort of doubled down that he meant what he said and said what he meant. So I don’t know. I think that the game got tense. There was obviously some discussion about the officiating. But, you know, I think there’s hopefully an apology coming. Would be my hope.”
Baker also highlighted aspects of UConn’s game that led to such a low-scoring performance from the Huskies, and ultimately the loss to the Gamecocks: “I said pre-game. I don’t know if UConn has it tonight, because I feel like there were … little things all season long that popped up, but because the level of competition they were facing, they could kind of mask it. And I saw in the regionals just some shaky shooting. I think it was a moment that was filled with immense pressure for [senior guard Azzi Fudd], but it’s a relatively young UConn team, other than [Fudd]. And I think it caught up to them, you know, when you didn’t have the production you expect from [sophomore forward] Sarah Strong, from Azzi Fudd. You saw some great minutes from [junior guard] Ashlynn Shade to kind of step in and fill that gap … But you saw those moments that could kind of be paved over against lesser competition, but a team like South Carolina, the margin for error is so slim, and we saw them pay for it tonight.”
Then, Megdal spoke with HBCU beat reporter Rob Knox about South Carolina’s performance, and specifically that of senior guard Ta’Niya Latson:
“We all know that Ta’Niya is a walking bucket. She can score with the best of them,” Knox said. “Obviously, she understood when she made the decision to come to South Carolina that scoring what you scored last year for Florida State is not necessary at South Carolina. And I think sometimes we get caught up in us [as] a society of who is scoring the most post, who will make the most highlights, who will break the most ankles, and tonight, Ta’Niya did all of those things in a way that if you aren’t paying attention closely to the game, you would just miss. So during the third quarter, they outscored UConn, 20-to-13, opened the quarter on a 12-2 run, and Ta’Niya, she was in the middle of everything. She had, in the quarter, scored two points, had six rebounds, had two assists and a steal that led to a fast break basket. So during that third quarter, to me, that was maybe one of the most impressive stretches of basketball I’ve seen all year because of the way she did it. And even with the rebounding … she finished with 11 rebounds, and I learned right before I filed my story [that] this was her first double-double of the season. A perfect time to get it, right?”
Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout to save 30%!
Finally, Megdal and executive editor Kathleen Gier broke down UCLA’s 51-44 win over Texas, and what contributed to the low final scores for both teams.
“This was a horrifyingly ugly game in so many different ways,” Megdal said. “UCLA committed 23 turnovers today. They shot 18 for 44 from the field, and they were the better shooting team. Texas shot 20 for 65 from the field, and amid all of that, Lauren Betts, it’s not flashy. 16 points. Well, 16 points on 10 shots, seven for 10 from the field, again, one turnover the whole night. Lauren Betts, in a game full of mistakes, barely made a mistake, and yet, even still, late in this game, she makes the definitive play. Madison Booker, who, I don’t care how many shots she misses, you’re still Madison Booker coming down the lane, getting downhill, a chance to cut it to one. And Lauren just stays calm, stays collected, blocks that shot, and then when they recover the ball, she’s able to go gather her teammates and keep them calm. … She is that beating heart of the UCLA team.”
Tune in to hear more from The IX Basketball’s staff who are on the ground in Phoenix, and what their predictions are for the title game between UCLA and South Carolina. The championship will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday on ABC.
Make sure to subscribe to The IX Sports Podcast for in-depth coverage of women’s soccer, hockey and basketball; and tune in each weekday morning for a quick overview of the biggest headlines on Women’s Sports Daily.
What you missed on Women’s Sports Daily: Montreal clinches PWHL playoff spot and women’s basketball headlines galore