Oviedo native Chloe Kitts played well in her Florida homecoming, but it was not enough as the University of South Carolina women fell to the University of Connecticut, 82-59, in the NCAA National Championship Game last weekend at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
The 6-foot-2, junior forward scored nine points, pulled down six rebounds and handed out an assist in 29-minutes in the Gamecocks’ attempt to repeat as National Champions.
Kitts, who averaged 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 52% from the field this season, had been an a big roll heading into the Final 4, recording 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a blocked shot in a 108-48 victory over Tennessee Tech, 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal in a 64-53 victory over Indiana, 15 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot in a 71-67 victory over Maryland and 14 points and four rebounds in a 54-50 triumph over Duke.
In her first game in Tampa against Texas in the National Semifinals (Final 4), Kitts had six points and three points in just 15 minutes of play in a 74-57 romp.
Kitts, who prepped at The Master’s Academy and DME Academy in Daytona before graduating early to enroll at South Carolina in 2022, had gained national attention by being named the SEC tournament MVP after three strong performances as the top-seeded Gamecocks won their third straight tournament title.
She had 25 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block again Vanderbilt, 10 rebounds, four rebounds, four assists and a steal against Oklahoma and 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a block and steal in a 64-45 win over No. 2 seeded Texas in the Championship Game on Sunday, March 9, at Bon Secours Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. She averaged 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in the three games, shooting 74.2% from the field.
Chloe was not the only Kitts in the news as younger sister Kylee Kitts announced on Wednesday that she had entered the Transfer Portal, leaving the University of Florida. The 6-foot-4 forward, who also graduated a year early from high school, was sidelined this season with an injury and will still have four years of eligibility at her next school.
