For the better part of a year, Aliyah Boston's was the face used to demonstrate the "agony of defeat" po Florida vs. Georgia Rivalry shirt rtion of the NCAA Tournament.
Now, hers will be front and center as a prime example of the thrill of victory following No. 1 South Carolina's 64-49 demolition of 2-seed UConn in the NCAA Tournament championship game.
MORE: UConn vs. South Carolina score, updates: Gamecocks finish dominant season with blowout v Texas vs. Oklahoma Rivalry Gear ictory in championship
The Gamecocks completed their unfinished business this season, going wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in women's college basketball, finishing the season with a 35-2 record and claiming just the school's second national championship (both of which came under Dawn Staley).
The victory had to be cathartic for Boston, who finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds in the championship — her NCAA- Kentucky vs. Louisville Rivalry shirt leading 30th double-double of the season — to earn Final Four MOP. That's especially true, considering how close the Gamecocks came to a national championship game b Bowie State Bulldogs Jerseys erth in 2021: Boston was a last-second put-back basket away from upending Stanford in the Final Four; the shot did not land, however, sending South Carolina home and resulting in a viral image from the 2021 NCAA Tournament:
MORE: How South Carolina's Aliyah Boston can become even more of a nightmare to guard
Boston was more than happy to discuss that moment following the Gamecocks' 2022 NCAA Tournament championship:
"Honestly, I've been thinking abo Auburn Tigers shirt ut this since last season," Boston told ESPN reporter Holly Rowe following the game. "Because everyone had a picture of me crying at the end of the Final Four. And they pu Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Jerseys t it everywhere as if that was some type of. …"
"But today we're national champions and …" Boston continued, before beginning to cry. "Happy tears, Holly. Happy tears. So if you guys want a smile, here you go. And we're national champions!"
Boston has more than the 2022 NCAA Tournament championship, too. She was the USWA Women's National Player of the Yea Concordia University (IL) Cougars clothes r; the Wade Trophy winner; The AP Women's College Basketball Player of the Year; the Naismith Defensive Player of the year; and the Naismith College Player o Michigan vs. Ohio State Rivalry Jerseys f the Year.
That incredible season, coupled with the championship, should be the defining legacy for Boston.
'I don’t want anyone to use a video of me crying as a weak point again," Boston said on SportsCenter aft Bowling Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Jerseys Green St. Falcons clothes er the game. "This is March Madness. It's all great."
