Ta'Niya Latson was an offensive force during her three years at Florida State and even led the country in scoring with 25.2 points per game last season. But the star guard only had one NCAA Tournament win to show for all her success. She did not want to graduate college without contending for a national championship, and so the Second-Team All-American chose to sacrifice individual excellence for collective greatness. That decision is bearing fruit in Phoenix, Arizona.
South Carolina's prized transfer portal addition recorded a game-high 16 points and team-high 11 rebounds in a 62-48 victory over UConn in the Final Four on Friday night. Latson is just one win away from reaching the mountaintop and fulfilling her mission. Now more than ever, she is grateful for the choice she made last spring.
“It was all worth it in the end,” the 5-foot-9 senior told SiriusXM's Nicole Auerbach after the Gamecocks advanced to Sunday's title game. “I feel like a lot of people didn't understand why I would want to give up my position at Florida State to come here and sacrifice, but this is why. Playing in a national championship has been a dream of mine… I'm just super excited.”
“This is why I came here.”
A year ago Ta’Niya Latson left a school where she was the nation’s leading scorer. Now she’s one win away from a National Championship with @GamecockWBB. pic.twitter.com/1WqKpOkIzr
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) April 4, 2026
Many fans might assume that it is quite easy to leave a good ACC squad for an SEC powerhouse like South Carolina. Dawn Staley had coached the program to three national championships since 2017. Current roster members Raven Johnson, Tessa Thompson and the injured Chloe Kitts all know what it feels like to cut down the nets in the final game of the season. There was a compelling case laid out in front of Ta'Niya Latson.
Nevertheless, it is always difficult when one foregoes being the No. 1 option and leaves their home state for a new place. The Miami, Florida native averaged almost 11 points less per game this season than she did in the previous campaign. Latson did not draw consideration for major awards or come close to retaining her scoring crown.
But she went a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to help South Carolina women's basketball snap UConn's 54-game winning streak, and she is on the verge of etching her name in championship history. Latson and the Gamecocks will square off with UCLA inside the Mortgage Matchup Center.
