Dawn Staley's 4 Words About Captivating USC vs UConn Contest Says It All
The women's college basketball world has had December 21 circled on their calendars for months now, as it marked the matchup between the UConn Huskies and USC Trojans.
Not only is this contest between two top-10 teams and a rematch of the 2024 Elite Eight, but it featured multiple college superstars; most notably a showdown between UConn standout Paige Bueckers and USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins.
Ultimately, it was Watkins' Trojans squad who secured the 72-70 win on the road. But the bottom line about this game is that it delivered on all the hype and then some.
While USC got off to a fantastic start in the first half through an impressive sharpshooting display, the Huskies stormed back in the second half and made the game extremely exciting in the final moments.
The game came down to UConn freshman Sarah Strong, who was fouled when shooting a three-pointer with her team down three points and a few seconds left to play. She then missed two of her three free throws and only had time for a hurried final shot that didn't come close to finding the net after she wound up with the ball beyond the arc off the rebound.
The viewership numbers for this game will be fascinating to see when they are released. One person who was surely watching was South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, who took to X after the game ended to write, "Say it along with me…..THANK YOU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL!!!"
Say it along with me…..THANK YOU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL!!!
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) December 22, 2024
Staley speaks for the people with this one, as everybody who tuned in for this Saturday night matchup still must be buzzing about what they just witnessed.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.