Chloe Kitts still reeling from UConn loss, recalls how "embarrassed" she was during the February blowout

Chloe Kitts and the South Carolina Gamecocks still haven't forgotten their blowout loss to the UConn Huskies at home during the regular season. Kitts opened up about that humiliating defeat in Saturday's press conference ahead of their rematch with the Huskies in the national championship game.

A reporter asked Kitts what sticks out to her the most about that 87-58 loss to UConn on Feb. 16 at Colonial Life Arena. That defeat snapped South Carolina's 71-game winning streak at home.

"Honestly, the embarrassment," Kitts said. "I was embarrassed. We were all embarrassed. To lose by that much, to lose our winning streak, we were just outhustled. Every one of them kind of outworked us and we felt that for a while."

Chloe Kitts is looking forward to facing the UConn Huskies again in the biggest game of the season.

"We're just super excited to play them again. Ever since that game, we've got better, we've matured," Kitts added.

The UConn Huskies cruised to victory in that contest after building a commanding 45-23 lead at the half. They extended their lead to 70-44 after the third quarter and outscored the Gamecocks 17-14 in the final period to complete the rout.

Azzi Fudd starred for UConn in that upset win, scoring a game-high 28 points on 11-for-22 shooting. The majority of her points came from beyond the arc, with Fudd knocking down six of her 10 3-point attempts.

Sarah Strong and Paige Bueckers each recorded double-doubles for the Huskies, who snapped their four-game losing streak against the Gamecocks. Strong had 16 points and 13 boards, while Bueckers scored 12 points and issued 10 assists.

Joyce Edwards led the scoring for South Carolina with 17 points. Kitts added six points and five rebounds for the Gamecocks in the loss.

How Chloe Kitts fared in South Carolina's Final Four win against Texas

Chloe Kitts helped the South Carolina Gamecocks advance to the national championship game for the fourth time in program history, scoring six points in the 74-57 win over the Texas Longhorns on Friday night.

South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts (21) controls the ball against the Texas Longhorns during the third quarter in their Final Four clash at Amalie Arena. Photo: Imagn

Kitts displayed perfection in that Final Four showdown, knocking down all three of her field-goal attempts against the Longhorns. She also had three rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

Kitts has been solid for the Gamecocks in this year's NCAA Tournament, averaging 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds through five games.