Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks lost 51-79 against the UCLA Bruins in the National Championship game yesterday. It was a crushing defeat for the Gamecocks, who had been great throughout the season.
The loss came a day after the Gamecocks registered a dominant win against the UConn Huskies in the Final Four. However, it wasn’t the win that made headlines against UConn. Staley and Geno Auriemma got into a verbal altercation at the end.
South Carolina’s loss against the Bruins was shocking. Even though they weren’t the clear favorites to win, it was expected to be a good matchup between two of the strongest teams in the country.
However, the Bruins showed total dominance on both ends. Their offense was fired up from the beginning, while the Gamecocks struggled to put points on the board. No one was expecting a blowout loss in the final game of the season.
Following South Carolina’s loss, rapper Plies, who is a huge fan of Dawn Staley, took to X to share a heartfelt note for the Gamecocks head coach.
“Dear @dawnstaley The Load That U Carry Is Extremely Heavy! What U Mean To Women’s Basketball Is One Thing But What U Mean To “US” Is Even More Impressive. It Takes A Special Kinda Person To Do What U Do! God Gives His Toughest Battles To His Strongest Soldiers & That U’re! ❤️ Ya!” he wrote.
The $6 million worth rapper wasn’t the only person who sent a heartfelt note for Staley. Several fans thanked her for leading the Gamecocks this season. Former players also showed support for the head coach.
Stephen A. Smith Was Shocked By UCLA’s Dominance Against Dawn Staley’s Team
The media veteran was active on social media while the two teams battled for the national title. Stephen A. Smith had predicted the Bruins to win the game, but he wasn’t expecting them to be so dominant.
At the end of the third quarter, he expressed his shock with a post on X.
“Good Lord. I expected @GamecockWBB to lose — just thought @UCLAWBB would be entirely too big for them — but I certainly did not expect this kind of beatdown. 60-30 in the 3rd QT? Damn! UCLA just seemed more composed, more ready for the moment, plus bigger and more physical. Damn impressive!” he wrote.
When the Bruins claimed the national title, Stephen A. made another post, congratulating Cori Close and the entire program for their success.
Read More:
Geno Auriemma Drops Cryptic Response on Animated Altercation With Dawn Staley
Will Geno Auriemma Retire After Loss vs South Carolina? UConn HC Makes Baffling Comment
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