South Carolina’s Heartbreak: A Tale of Tears, Lessons, and Hope for the Future
TAMPA, Fla. — The scene was set for a thrilling showdown, but as Raven Johnson exited the national title game with four minutes remaining, the reality of South Carolina’s situation was undeniable. Down by 32 points to UConn, the Gamecocks’ dreams of back-to-back championships were dashed.
Johnson, overwhelmed with emotion, sat on the bench, her head buried in her hands, tears streaming down her face. Her teammate, Bree Hall, offered comfort, reminding her of the pride they should feel despite the 82-59 loss on Sunday.
For Hall, the end of her South Carolina journey was bittersweet. She expressed gratitude for her four Final Four appearances and two titles, even as she lamented the loss. Johnson, however, was inconsolable, feeling the weight of the defeat personally.
“I was hurt, I was heartbroken, I was embarrassed,” Johnson confessed in the postgame locker room. “I felt like my soul got snatched. I hate losing. That’s the big thing. I wanted to win so bad today and I feel like I fell short. I’m going to beat up on myself about this game because a loss just doesn’t sit right with me.”
As Johnson grappled with her emotions, senior Sania Feagin stood at her locker, tears flowing as she reflected on her time with the team. Nearby, MiLaysia Fulwiley was also in tears.
“They played harder than us,” Fulwiley admitted. “They played like they wanted to win the national championship. I think we didn’t. They had more grit than us. They got loose balls; they ran their stuff. They didn’t back down from us. We came out on the same level, but we didn’t keep it up.”
Indeed, South Carolina kept pace with UConn for much of the first quarter. However, the tide turned in the second quarter as the Huskies intensified their physical play, disrupting South Carolina’s interior game—a strength all season. UConn outscored South Carolina 36-26 in the paint.
According to ESPN Research, this was South Carolina’s second-worst paint points differential this season (minus-14 in a loss at Texas on Feb. 9). The Gamecocks had averaged 42.0 paint points per game, the most in Division I.
“They filled the paint up,” said Chloe Kitts, who scored nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. “We were trying to go up. We missed some. Lots of contact down there. They got us flustered on offense. We couldn’t finish. We just didn’t get the ball in the basket at the end of the day.”
It wasn’t just the 34% shooting that plagued South Carolina. Their usually reliable defense faltered, allowing easy baskets on backdoor cuts as UConn shot 48% from the field. The Gamecocks were also outrebounded by seven on the defensive end.
“Their coach definitely took advantage of the matchups they had,” Fulwiley noted. “It was easy scores for them, and they kept doing what was working for them. They have a very good coach. It was smart for him to keep running the same things working on us. We’ve just got to get better on the defensive end. Most of the points they scored were unacceptable.”
Te-Hina Paopao added, “We had frustration throughout the game. We couldn’t get stops, we couldn’t battle, we couldn’t fight. We had to be more physical, and we ended up not being the defensive team that we know how to be.”
As the third quarter progressed, the realization set in that this was not South Carolina’s day.
“They were hitting everything,” Johnson said. “They’re a phenomenal team. They play well together. They were just an oiled machine.”
“We tried,” Hall said. “We really did try. We just got beat, and it’s just the honest truth.”
Coach Dawn Staley acknowledged, “We lost to a very, very good basketball team. They beat our ass, but they didn’t make us like it. There’s a difference.”
Staley was asked what she hoped her young players would learn from the experience of losing in the national title game.
“I hope they’re crying,” Staley said. “I hope they’re boohooing because from crying they have emotion about losing, makes you work hard in the offseason. Makes you look at it and really analyze what the separation is from their program and our program and how we close the gap with that.”
South Carolina will lose Feagin, Paopao, and Hall next season. Johnson has yet to decide whether to return for another year or enter the WNBA draft, promising an announcement “soon.”
When asked if the loss affected her decision, she said, “It made me think a little bit because I would love to end on a good note.”
Fulwiley was also asked about the focus for her and her returning teammates to avoid a similar outcome next season, offering a somewhat cryptic response.
“Just getting better, just trying to understand a lot of things and just trying to think things through and see what’s best for me,” Fulwiley said.
Freshman Joyce Edwards, who led the team in scoring this season, will return alongside Kitts and Tessa Johnson. They will be joined by incoming freshman Agot Makeer (the No. 4 recruit in the class of 2025) and the return of Ashlyn Watkins from a season-ending knee injury.
Despite the loss, those who have helped make South Carolina a perennial Final Four team remain confident.
“Like they say, minor setback for a major comeback. South Carolina will be back in the national championship game,” Johnson said. “Hopefully, this adds fire to next year of trying to get back here.”
Originally Written by: Andrea Adelson
