Last season’s NCAA Tournament ended in disappointment for Aliyah Boston and South Carolina, but things were completely different this year.
The Gamecocks dominated UConn 64-49 at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Sunday night to win the national championship. Boston only scored 11 points, but she still was named Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.
The 6-foot-5 junior got to smile this time around, which was a departure from last season. Last year, a photo of Boston crying following South Carolina’s loss in the Final Four to Stanford drew attention.
Last year This year pic.twitter.com/JYti0omMSK
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 4, 2022
“I’ve been thinking about this since last season,” Boston said in her postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “Everyone had a picture of me crying at the end of the Final Four … but today we are national champions.”
Boston then started to cry “happy tears” and told viewers she would give them a big smile.
Aliyah Boston 2022 National Champion pic.twitter.com/Gspxm7wFrR
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 4, 2022
This is the second championship for South Carolina, which also won one in 2017.
