South Carolina lawmakers honor national champion Gamecocks

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina lawmakers paused Wednesday to honor the University of South Carolina’s national championship women’s basketball team in a raucous celebration. The party included Gamecocks chants and the team’s unofficial anthem blaring through the House chamber. South Carolina won the national championship Sunday with a 64-49 victory over UConn. The accomplishment made the Gamecocks the first team honored on the floor of the state House and Senate since the COVID-19 outbreak started in early 2020. Coach Dawn Staley and the players didn’t speak, but plenty of lawmakers did for over an hour as resolutions honoring them were read and selfies and pictures were taken.