South Carolina Gamecocks Win NCAA Basketball Championship
NC State Athletics and The NCAA / April 12, 2024
South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley (right) and the Gamecocks receive the trophy on court for the third time in program history.
CLEVELAND, OH. – The North Carolina State women’s basketball team saw its season come to a close over the weekend. The Wolfpack fell to top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks by a 78-59 score in Friday night’s national semifinal game.
N.C. State ends its season with a 31-7 overall record after appearing in its 29th overall and seven straight NCAA Tournament and earning a spot in the Final Four for the first time since 1997-98. The Wolfpack earned nine wins over AP Top 25 teams this year to tie a single-season program record, reached its third Elite Eight in program history and second in three years, and was the runner-up at the 2024 ACC Tournament as it made its fourth championship game appearance in the last five seasons.
The Wolfpack was just the seventh NCAA Division I women’s basketball team to start the season unranked in the AP Top 25 and reach the Final Four that same year.
South Carolina went on to defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes and superstar Caitlin Clark, 87-75, to win a third NCAA National Championship. Under the leadership of head coach Dawn Staley since 2008, the Gamecocks have turned into a college basketball powerhouse with all three of their national titles (2017, 2022, 2024) occurring during Staley’s tenure. The Gamecocks completed a perfect 38-0 record for the season.
