SC Women's Basketball Coach Dawn Staley Gives 'God the Glory' for Gamecocks Championship Win

Coach Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks outpaced Coach Geno Auriemma's Connecticut Huskies 64-49 Sunday night to claim the NCAA women's national basketball championship. 

Analysts credited the Gamecocks' halting defense along with the outstanding play of guard Destanni Henderson and forward Aliyah Boston among the game's highlights. Henderson scored 26 points, in addition to four assists and three steals. Boston scored 11 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and had three assists.

The win marked the second national championship for Staley and her South Carolina team. The last one was in 2017. 

At the end of the game, the South Carolina women's team tweeted out two words: NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, along with a video of the team celebrating. 

While being interviewed by ESPN about the win, Staley was asked how her team was able to persevere and stay patient, according to Sports Spectrum.  

"I have to give glory to God, glory to God," Staley answered. "I think people don't really understand that our path was divinely ordered. And the order was for us to be national champions on this day."

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Sports Spectrum reported about how earlier in the day on Sunday, Staley shared her "Gameday Devotional," on social media. It's a pre-game ritual she's been doing for years. The key Bible verse on Sunday was 2 Timothy 4:7: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (KJB).

Boston, a junior, was honored as both the Naismith Player of the Year and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after scoring 34 points, 34 rebounds, and seven assists over the two games.

The 6-foot, 5-inch native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, also brought up her faith and how prayer is an important role in her life during the news conference before the championship game, Sports Spectrum reports. 

"Making sure that I pray that over myself that no weapon formed against me shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17), it just keeps me calm because I know that God is protecting me and He's camping His angels around me every single day no matter what I'm doing," she said.

Boston also gave God the glory Sunday night in a Twitter post. 

"God is so Good!! National Champs baby‼️‼️  {Love} that frown has been turned upside down," she wrote with a wink emoji. 

Boston told FiveThirtyEight last month that leaning on her faith through the pandemic helped her become more patient. 

"I have definitely grown in my faith since last year," she said. "When COVID first started, I didn't know what was happening in life and I was feeling overwhelmed a lot, but leaning on my faith has helped me."

"My family, we do a family Bible study almost every night, and I feel like I have been able to grow and get closer to God in that way as well. My faith helps me on the court because I am more patient."