Defending national champion South Carolina returns to title game with 74-57 rout of Texas

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Dawn Staley has never lost a national championship game in three trips as South Carolina's coach.

Part of the key to winning those decisive games? Forgetting about what happened the last time she was there. And this time, that was only a year ago.

Staley's defending champion Gamecocks left no doubt they would return to the title game, getting 14 points from Te-Hina Paopao and overwhelming Texas 74-57 on Friday night in the Final Four of the women's NCAA Tournament.

“Nothing that happened prior to here is going to help us on Sunday. Nothing,” Staley said. “Saying that we’re undefeated in national championships games — I wish it helped. I wish it would spot us 10 points because we’re undefeated. I'd feel really good about that."

The Gamecocks are a win away from becoming the first team to secure consecutive titles since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. South Carolina will play UConn for the championship on Sunday after the Huskies routed UCLA 85-51 in Friday's second semifinal.

Freshman Joyce Edwards added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for South Carolina (35-3), which used its experience and poise to weather an early deficit, and then took control with its depth at both ends of the floor.

Three South Carolina players finished in double figures — Bree Hall had 11 points — and the Gamecocks dominated Texas in the post with 40 points in the paint to the Longhorns’ 22.

Madison Booker had 11 points with three fouls for the Longhorns (35-4), who were trying to reach their first championship since 1986. They were in the Final Four for the first time since 2003 after a dominant season, which was their first in the Southeastern Conference after coming over from the Big 12.

Texas went 15-1 against the SEC in the regular season and shared the conference title with the Gamecocks.

South Carolina broke open the game in the third quarter with an 11-0 run started by Edwards' driving layup, and Texas never got closer than 10 the rest of the way. Booker, Texas' leading scorer, was held without a basket after making a jumper at the seven-minute mark of the third.

The Longhorns could not match South Carolina’s pace as the game went on. They only scored nine points in the third, including bad mid-range misses from Booker and Harmon. Harmon, a senior who returned this season from an ACL injury last year, finished with eight points. Jordan Lee led Texas with 16 points off the bench.

“Not our best night tonight,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said, “but it wasn’t because they weren’t out there battling and trying. We lost to the better team tonight.”

South Carolina went undefeated during a dominant championship run last year that featured a physical roster no opponent could match up with. This year’s journey to the final has been slightly more challenging.

Without a star like A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston or 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso — who led the Gamecocks on their previous title runs — they've relied on a dynamic rotation to reach their third championship game in four years.

South Carolina leads the nation in bench points and got 35 points from its reserves on Friday, including nine points from Tessa Johnson and seven from Milaysia Fulwiley. Former South Carolina greats Wilson, Boston and Allisha Gray cheered them on from the stands.

Booker went to the bench with about three minutes left in the first quarter after picking up two fouls. That allowed South Carolina to climb out of a 12-4 hole before the SEC player of the year came back late in the second, made a free throw and checked back out after picking up her third foul. The Gamecocks outscored Texas by 13 with Booker on the bench and took a 38-35 halftime lead.

“Basketball is a game of runs,” Paopao said. “They went on their run. We went on our run. And we came out with the win, so I’m proud of our run.”

This was the teams’ fourth meeting this season — the 17th time two women’s teams have faced each other that many times in a single season, according to Stats Perform. As first-time conference opponents, they split the regular-season series, with each team winning on its home court, before the Gamecocks blew out Texas in the SEC Tournament championship.

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South Carolina forward Sania Feagin (20) drives against Texas forward Taylor Jones (44) during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

South Carolina forward Maryam Dauda (30) and Texas forward Kyla Oldacre (00) scramble for a loose ball during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

South Carolina forward Sania Feagin (20) and Texas forward Kyla Oldacre (00) battle for a rebound during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Texas forward Taylor Jones (44) and guard Jordana Codio (13) walk off the floor after losing to South Carolina in a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Texas head coach Vic Schaefer reacts during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against South Carolina during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley comments to the referee during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

South Carolina guard Bree Hall (23) reacts after hitting a three point basket against Texas during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21), guard Te-Hina Paopao (0) and guard Bree Hall (23) react during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards (8) and Texas forward Kyla Oldacre (00) battle for a rebound during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21) brings the ball up the court against Texas during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

South Carolina guard Raven Johnson (25) reacts during the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

South Carolina guard Bree Hall (23), forward Chloe Kitts (21) and forward Sania Feagin (20) react late in the second half of a national semifinal Final Four game against Texas during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge opened the final hearing for a landmark $2.8 billion settlement that will impact every corner of college athletics by saying she will not be granting formal approval on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken said she would hear from attorneys and some of those objecting to the plan before adjourning.

“I’m not going to rule from the bench,” Wilken said at the start of the hearing.

In addition to comments from attorneys, testimony was expected from critics of the sprawling plan that was hashed out last year by attorneys representing the NCAA and other defendants and those representing thousands of current and former athletes. LSU gymnast and influencer Olivia Dunne was among the 18 people scheduled to testify, though she was expected to appear via Zoom.

Wilken already has granted preliminary approval of the settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences. The changes would begin July 1, clearing the way for each school to share up to $20.5 million each with their athletes.

Universities across the country have been busy making plans, under the assumption Wilken will put the terms into effect.

“We're going to have a plan going into July 1, then we're probably going to spend the next year figuring out how good that plan is and how we need to modify it going forward,” said Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, whose department is among the biggest in the country and includes a Gators men's basketball team playing for the national title Monday night against Houston.

The so-called House settlement, named after Arizona State swimmer Grant House, actually decides three similar lawsuits that were bundled into one. The defendants are the NCAA and the Southeastern, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences, all of whom have been touting the settlement as the best path forward for their industry.

“It's a huge step forward for college sports, especially at the highest level," said NCAA President Charlie Baker, whose organization continues to seek antitrust protections from Congress. “My biggest problem with the way the whole thing works right now is the schools have been removed from the primary relationship with the student-athletes.”

The most ground-shifting part of the settlement calls on schools from the biggest conferences to pay some 22% of their revenue from media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships — which equals about $20.5 million in the first year — directly to athletes for use of their name, images and likeness (NIL).

Still allowed would be NIL payments to athletes from outside sources, which is what triggered the seismic shift that college sports has endured over the last four years. For instance, Cooper Flagg of Duke reportedly makes $4.8 million in NIL deals from groups affiliated with the school and others.

The settlement calls for a “clearinghouse” to make sure any NIL deal worth more than $600 is pegged at “fair market value." It's an attempt to prevent straight “pay for play” deals, though many critics believe the entire new structure is simply NIL masquerading as that.

Another key element is the $2.8 billion in back damages to athletes who played sports between 2016 and 2024 and were not entitled to the full benefits of NIL at the time they attended schools. Those payments are being calculated by a formula that will favor football and basketball players and will be doled out by the NCAA and the conferences.

The settlement also calls for replacing scholarship limits with roster limits. The effect would be to allow every athlete to be eligible for a scholarship while cutting the number of spots available.

There will be winners and losers under such a formula, though some fear it could signal the end of the walk-on athlete in college sports and also imperil smaller sports programs that train and populate the U.S. Olympic team.

AP College Football Writer Eric Olson contributed. Pells reported from San Antonio.

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21) reacts as she sits on the bench during the second half of the national championship game against UConn at the Final Four of the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Florida's Alijah Martin (15) dunks the ball against Auburn during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

UConn center Jana El Alfy (8) and UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) react during the first half of a national semifinal Final Four game against UCLA during the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) moves on the court against Michigan State during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)