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DAWN STALEY

Emmert promises WBCA he will work to fix 'stark' inequities

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – NCAA President Mark Emmert promised the Women's Basketball Coaches Association he will work with coaches to fix the “stark difference” between the Division I men's and women's tournaments. He asked Emmert what he could do to make sure those people give women's basketball the same advantages and opportunities. “Maybe that’s what has to happen in women’s basketball?” Auriemma said. "Maybe women’s basketball has got to separate itself from the other women’s sports? Yet for the women's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, only “NCAA Women's Basketball” was in the middle of the court.

1st-timer Arizona joins mainstays in women's NCAA Final Four

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)Arizona has been having fun and playing good basketball, all the way to its first women's NCAA Final Four. The 11-time national champions are making their 13th consecutive Final Four appearance and 21st overall for coach Geno Auriemma. The Cardinal's first Final Four since 2017 is their 14th overall, trailing only to UConn and Tennessee's 18. The Wildcats hadn't even been in the women's NCAA Tournament since 2005, though they would have made it last year with a 24-7 record before the tourney was canceled because of the pandemic. Stanford is in its 34th consecutive women's NCAA Tournament, with Tara VanDerveer in her record 35th overall as a coach.

South Carolina drubs Texas 62-34 to reach Final Four

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – One by one, South Carolina players walked through the confetti and climbed the ladder to cut down the net in the Alamodome. Zia Cooke scored 16 points and South Carolina used its stifling defense to advance to the Final Four for the third time, shutting down Texas for a 62-34 victory Tuesday night. Top-seeded South Carolina blocked 14 shots, nine by Laeticia Amihere, and held No. “It says they're locked in,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. South Carolina answered with a 3-pointer from Henderson to start the Gamecocks on the run that would put the game away.

Baylor coach calls for end of COVID-19 testing at NCAAs

As of Saturday, there had been two confirmed positive tests at the women's tournament with over 15,400 administered. The last positive result among the players, coaches and others working at the tournament was reported on March 22 from daily antigen testing. Six conference teams qualified for the women’s tournament: Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Washington State and UCLA. And it’s led to some mutual support: Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer has been texting Oregon State men’s coach Wayne Tinkle, among others. Night in and night out in the Pac-12, we’re playing teams like Stanford, UCLA, great teams, Oregon State, Oregon.

What To Watch: Remaining Final Four spots up for grabs

… Gonzaga is seeking to become the first team to make it to the Final Four unbeaten since Kentucky in 2015. 11 seed UCLA (21-9), East Region final, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. … UCLA is back in a regional final for the first time since earning three straight Final Four berths from 2006-08. 6 seed Texas (21-9), Hemisfair Region final, Alamodome, San Antonio. … Texas is in a regional final for the first time since 2016 and seeking its first Final Four appearance since 2003.

South Carolina beats Georgia Tech 76-65 to reach Elite Eight

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – Zia Cooke and her South Carolina teammates were hot from the outside and rode that solid shooting to reach the Elite Eight. Cooke scored 17 points, hitting five of six 3-point attempts, to lead top-seed South Carolina to a 76-65 win over fifth-seeded Georgia Tech on Sunday and reach the Elite Eight. The South Carolina coach praised Fortner's positivity, which is something Georgia Tech needed when they hired her in 2019. Fortner provided that and had Georgia Tech reach its second-ever Sweet 16 in her second season. South Carolina built a 10-point lead before Georgia Tech scored the final six points of the half to only trail 39-35 at the break.

Weighty issue: Inequity raised in women's, men's tourneys

It’s not just a weight room that’s a problem. “The men have everything in that weight room and we have yoga mats,” she said. NCAA Senior Vice President of women’s basketball Lynn Holzman said the governing body would try to quickly improve the equipment available at the women’s tournament. NCAA Senior Vice President of women's basketball Lynn Holzman revealed the numbers on a media call Thursday morning, but did not identify who tested positive. ___AP Sports Writers Jim Vertuno and Teresa Walker contributed to this reportAd___More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

UConn frosh Paige Bueckers leads women's AP All-America team

The freshman guard has lived up to it so far, delivering record-breaking performances and earning a spot on The Associated Press women's basketball All-American team Wednesday. She's only the third freshman to make the AP team, joining Oklahoma's Courtney Paris and UConn's Maya Moore. “Name one player that has taken a team this young to where we are today," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. She became the school's first women's basketball All-American last season. She was joined by Naz Hillmon, who is the first women's player at Michigan to earn All-America honors.

No. 7 Gamecocks win SEC Tourney 67-62 over No. 16 Georgia

Aliyah Boston had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead South Carolina, which only a week ago lost at No. South Carolina, though, righted things in a big way at the SEC Tournament. Boston then followed with a pair of foul shots and South Carolina held on for its 14th straight victory over Georgia. But when Jenna Staiti picked up her second foul at the end of the first quarter, South Carolina found Boston down low. South Carolina: It didn't take long for the Gamecocks to assert their dominance once more on the SEC.