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An incredible game and an incredible year of women's college basketball, which saw them shatter viewership records for not only women's basketball but basketball as a whole, came to a fitting end with the NCAA national championship game.
The South Carolina Gamecocks continued their undefeated season, finishing 38-0, the first team since UConn nearly a decade ago to manage the feat as they won the national championship, drawing a heartfelt response from Samuel L. Jackson.
Jackson, who has a net worth of $250 million (per Celebrity Net Worth), had a heartfelt message for the Gamecocks and head coach Dawn Staley in particular about their amazing accomplishment.
"THANK YOU COACH DAWN!!!! THANK YOU SC BALLERS!!!!!! Ion know boutchall, but DAMN I needed that!!!!!! Somewhere I hope Pearl Moore is smiling," Jackson tweeted.
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The Pearl Moore connection
For those in the unknown, Pearl Moore was one of the pioneers of women's basketball, solidifying a legendary career at Francis Marion University. In 127 games played for the university, she only had 18 games where she scored less than 20 points.
As a result, she is still the record holder for most points in women's college basketball history, with 4,061 in the AIAW, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021.
A native of South Carolina, her connection to the school is immediately apparent.
How Coach Dawn Staley won her team the national championship
Dawn Staley inherited a brand-new starting 5 to begin the season after losing in the Final Four to the Hawkeyes in 2023, finishing with a 36-1 record. The Coach of the Year earned her mettle with another undefeated season.
Going 37-0 en route to a national championship appearance, her team stood across from the only player and team combo to have beaten them in the past two seasons. In the first quarter, it looked like Caitlin Clark might indeed be the kryptonite for the Gamecocks.
Rattling off 18 points, she led the Iowa Hawkeyes to a 27-20 early lead. But it was a defensive adjustment by Staley that flipped the game around. She tasked Raven Johnson to guard Caitlin Clark and it led to an immediate issue for Clark.
Not being able to get her shot off, the sharpshooter added just 12 points for the rest of the night. In the second quarter, South Carolina took back control, going 29-19 for a 49-46 lead.
Alongside the incredible defensive effort from Johnson, it was the Tessa Johnson show for South Carolina on offense, who tallied 19 points and got support from Kamilla Cardoso, who finished with a 15-point, 17-rebound double-double.
Those performances gave South Carolina an 87-75 victory over the Hawkeyes for their second national title in 3 years and 3rd in 7 years, all under Dawn Staley.
Where do you think Dawn Staley ranks among the all-time great college basketball coaches? Let us know in the comments below.
