COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) — A day after South Carolina lost to Iowa in the women’s NCAA Final Four, the Gamecocks’ Aliyah Boston announced Saturday that she will leave school to prepare for a career in the WNBA.

“God makes no mistakes,” Boston said on Twitter. “This program has been so good to my family and I. Wouldn’t trade these past 4 years for anything. With love gamecock nation.”

Boston’s decision came after a night in which she was plagued by foul trouble in a 77-73 semifinal loss to the Hawkeyes that ended South Carolina’s 42-game winning streak and a chance to repeat as champions. It was the Gamecocks’ third year in a row in the Final Four.

“It is no secret that I love the game of basketball,” Boston said on Twitter. “The invaluable experience I have gained cannot be measured. The sheer magnitude of the guidance I have received from the coaching staff will continue to follow me well into the next chapter of my career. I have made lifelong friends on this journey, especially the ‘Freshies’ and I am excited to see where our dreams take us.”

There hasn’t been a repeat national champion since UConn won four in a row from 2013-16. That streak by the Huskies ended when South Carolina won its first title in 2017, in the same arena where this year’s Final Four is being played.

South Carolina was the first undefeated team since UConn in 2018 to lose in the Final Four. The Gamecocks missed a chance to become the 10th team to finish a season without a loss.

The 6-foot-5 Boston, a senior, could have returned for another season, but she is projected to be one of the top picks in the WNBA draft, maybe the first one.

“I would tell her to go,” her coach Dawn Staley said after Friday’s loss. “She’s great. She’s ready. She’s ready to see single coverage, she’s ready to make the next step to the league.”

Boston finished Friday night’s game with eight points and 10 rebounds in 25 1/2 minutes on the court. She was scoreless in the first half, when she took just one shot and was limited to only eight minutes after two early fouls.

“She’s meant everything to our program,” Staley said. “She has been the cornerstone of our program for the past four years. She elevated us. She raised the standard of how to approach basketball. I slept very well knowing she was with our program, and I’ll sleep well knowing that’s she’s OK, and she will definitely make her mark at the next level.”

Information from the Associated Press was included in this story.