The past 12 months have been incredible for the state of South Carolina in collegiate athletics. First, Coastal Carolina won the College World Series in June. Then, Clemson pulled off a dramatic comeback to win the College Football Playoff in January. South Carolina joined the championship party Sunday when it won the women’s basketball national championship.
The Gamecocks (33-4) defeated SEC rival Mississippi State 67-55 to claim the program’s first national championship.

HISTORY AND THE HARDWARE! 🏆

The #Gamecocks down MSU 67-55 to capture their first #NationalChampionship!#ForeverToThee#ForeverChampions☝️ pic.twitter.com/7XQFtfoO4a

— GamecockWBB (@GamecockWBB) April 3, 2017

South Carolina has been a No. 1 seed in each of the past four seasons, and this year was the team’s second Final Four trip. Prior to Dawn Staley taking over as head coach in 2008, the Gamecocks had only reached the Sweet 16 three times. They’ve accomplished that feat in five of the last six seasons and capped off that run with a title.
“You have to have patience, you have to persevere, stay with it,” Staley said, according to ESPN.com. “If something is a goal of yours to accomplish, you don’t give up on it. I never gave up on winning a national championship, no matter how hard it was, no matter what it looked like.”
Staley came incredibly close to winning a national championship as a player at Virginia in the early 90s. She led the Cavaliers to three straight Final Fours and one championship game. She is the first person to win the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award and coach a team to a national championship.
“I can’t put into words how much it meant to win the game for coach,” said South Carolina star A’ja Wilson, according to ESPN.com. “She’s put in so much time and sweat into this. … It really means something special to bring this back home for such a great person like coach Staley.”
Wilson, a native of South Carolina, took home the Most Outstanding Player award this year. She tallied a game-high 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Allisha Gray also posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Gamecocks are the fifth team to win the championship game without making a 3-pointer. They were 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. South Carolina outscored Mississippi State 42-20 in the paint and attempted 76.4 percent of its shots from the paint.
The Bulldogs (34-5), fresh off halting Connecticut’s 111-game winning streak, jumped on top early by scoring seven of the game’s first eight points. The Gamecocks fought back and took their first lead with 24 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. They led the rest of the game.
Mississippi State was led by Victoria Vivians with 12 points and Dominique Dillingham with 11 points.
The Gamecocks are already looking ahead to next season and their title defense.
“Man, just be with us next year, we’re trying to be in this same spot next year, we’re going to see how it goes,” Wilson said, according to ESPN.com.