PHOENIX (AP) 鈥� Dawn Staley has fond memories of her first trip as a coach to the NCAA championship game. It ended with South Carolina’s first national title nine years ago.
She hopes that UCLA’s first time playing for an NCAA title won’t end the same way for the Bruins, who face the Gamecocks on Sunday
鈥淚t鈥檚 special. I mean, it鈥檚 special. You鈥檙e playing on the last day of college women鈥檚 basketball,鈥� Staley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great honor and a great feat whether you win or lose. You also are measuring where your program can continue to go. For us, 2017, we won it. I鈥檓 hoping that鈥檚 not the same for UCLA on Sunday.鈥�
Since winning that , Staley has led the Gamecocks to two more, and she’s reached the title game in four of the past five seasons. A win against UCLA would tie Staley with LSU’s Kim Mulkey for third most titles by a coach, trailing only Geno Auriemma and the late Pat Summitt.
Staley isn’t concerned about her place in history.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really compare myself to anybody when it comes to it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 mean, I do what I do for our players. I do what I do for the coaches that I work with every single day. Those are the people that are in the trenches. Other people outside of us, I鈥檝e never really compared myself to.鈥�
UCLA’s run to its first championship game started last year with a blowout loss to UConn in last year鈥檚 Final Four. The Bruins used that as motivation during their return to the national semifinals.
The Bruins’ only loss this year came to Texas in November. UCLA got its revenge with a in the Final Four. Now the Bruins are vying for their first national championship since 1978, when women鈥檚 basketball was governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been very businesslike. We were not jumping around in the locker room. We were not celebrating,鈥� UCLA coach Cori Close said. 鈥淲e have really come to this tournament very focused. We really believe that the job wasn鈥檛 done yet. We want to have a chance to compete for a national championship. We want to do that the highest of levels.鈥�
Both teams hope to avoid another rugby match
Close said after the win over Texas that it felt like a rugby match. She hopes for a more 鈥渁esthetically pleasing game鈥� against the Gamecocks.
鈥淚 do think we all want the same thing. The officiating, the coaches, the players, we all want the same thing,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want to have a stylistic game that shows off the progress of the game, that continues to grow the game nationally to people who are tuning in. We just have to figure out where that gap is and how we can close it.鈥�
Gamecocks’ Makeer raises her play
South Carolina freshman Agot Makeer has had an incredible NCAA Tournament, scoring in double figures in all five games after only doing that three times in the Gamecocks’ 33 previous games. Makeer is averaging 14.6 points while shooting 55.6% from the field during March Madness.
鈥淚 feel like my mindset changed. Starting in the SEC Tournament, I just started approaching games differently,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I feel like it wasn鈥檛 just one-dimensional thinking. I just wanted to go and do whatever I can to get the team to win. So just in this tournament, I鈥檝e just thought whatever I can do to get this team a win is what I need to do.鈥�
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