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Dawn Staley comments on national title rematch with UConn
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Dawn Staley and South Carolina knew that there was a possibility that they’d face UConn in the national championship game, months after the Huskies trounced the Gamecocks in the regular season.
Well, that possibility is a reality: It’s South Carolina vs. UConn in the final on Sunday for the second time in 4 seasons. And for the Gamecocks, it’s a chance to become the first repeat champion since Geno Auriemma’s Huskies rattled off 4 in a row from 2013-2016, while making it 4 titles in the Staley era.
Obviously, South Carolina is out for the ultimate measure of revenge after suffering an uncharacteristic 87-58 loss to the Huskies on Feb. 16, a defeat that ended a 71-game win streak at Colonial Life Arena and ranked as one of the biggest blowout losses of Staley’s tenure.
Will that fuel her team on Sunday?
“The fuel is to win another national championship. That’s the fuel,” Staley said on Saturday, according to The State/GoGamecocks.com. “But we need to play a lot better than we did a month and a half ago.”
Perhaps that was a wake-up call for the Gamecocks, who have won their last 12 since the loss. Win No. 13, though, will see another trophy added to their cabinet.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
