Women’s Basketball: South Carolina Caps Perfect Season With NCAA Championship

By ESPN Photos: YouTube Screenshots CLEVELAND — Soon after the national championship trophy was presented to the South Carolina Gamecocks, coach Dawn Staley threw her head back and, with confetti showering down, spread her arms toward the sky. A year after a stunning Final Four defeat that ended what could have been a perfect season and national championship run, South Carolina finished the job Sunday in Cleveland — and did so in historic fashion. The Gamecocks vanquished the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75 in the women’s NCAA tournament title game to become the 10th team in Division I history to complete an undefeated season (38-0), joining UConn (six times), Baylor (2011-12), Tennessee (1997-98) and Texas (1985-86) as the only programs to achieve such a feat. “We’re unbeatable,” junior Bree Hall said. “That’s the statement that was made tonight.” After graduating 2023 No. 1 WNBA draft pick Aliyah Boston and four other starters from last year, South Carolina became the first team since at least 2000 to win a title after returning none of its primary starters from a team that reached the Final Four the previous season. “They made history,” Staley, overcome with emotion, told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “They etched their names...