The epic moment has come and gone in women’s college basketball and before anyone thinks about what happens next, best to savor what was just witnessed,
South Carolina is securely in the history books with one of the most stunning reloading jobs ever seen. The Gamecocks go 36-1, lose all five starters, then return with a flawless 38-0 run and national championship, the final bow on the package an 87-75 win over Iowa Sunday. The South Carolina Unstoppables. One must stand back to look at all the numbers and fully appreciate the dominance of Dawn Staley’s program.
This for instance: A 109-3 record the past three seasons with the defeats by one, two and four points.
Or this: Three national championships in the past seven tournaments. “Obviously,” said Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “Dawn Staley is the leader of women’s basketball right now.”
Or this: An astonishing display of depth that no one could withstand. The difference in bench points in the NCAA tournament for South Carolina was 222-36. Sunday against Iowa it was 37-0. “They could start on any team in this country,” guard Te-Hina Paopao said of the Gamecocks’ second wave. “But they decided to sacrifice that and play for this team and win a national championship, which we did today.”
