The South Carolina women’s basketball team defeated Maryland 71-67 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament on Friday evening in Birmingham, Alabama, inside Legacy Arena.
This is now the fifth straight Elite Eight for the Gamecocks and the ninth in program history, eight of which have been under head coach Dawn Staley.
Junior forward Chloe Kitts was the focal point for the Gamecock offense in the first quarter, with Kitts scoring the first 10 points of the game by herself. Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley would then take the reins and score the next 7 points.
Even with the strong start from the two Gamecocks, the Terrapins ended the quarter trailing just 17-16 to South Carolina.
In the second quarter, South Carolina’s offense struggled to make shots, going just 4-17 from the floor. Maryland also found a way to get to the free throw line, shooting 16 free throws in the first half compared to six from the Gamecocks.
Despite the shooting struggles, South Carolina ended the first half down only 33-31, in large part due to senior forward Sania Feagin, who scored 5 points in the quarter while also blocking a last second layup by Maryland.
To start the third quarter, both teams continued to trade baskets with Gamecock senior guard Bree Hall and junior guard Raven Johnson both hitting threes.
The Gamecocks would then break off a 7-0 run in just over a minute to reclaim the lead, capped off by a layup by senior guard Te-Hina Paopao who played just seven minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls early in the game.
Entering the fourth quarter, South Carolina held a slight 52-50 lead over Maryland. After a back and forth start to the quarter, South Carolina ended getting the victory with Fulwiley scoring 11 points in the quarter.
Fulwiley finished the game with 23 points, the most points she has scored in a NCAA tournament and just one shy of her career high.
“I just went out there and tried to help my team get closer to our next goal, which is the Elite Eight,” Fulwiley said. “I think I did that.”
Much like the win against Indiana in the second round, the Gamecocks trailed at halftime but found a way to come back and win the game, with Staley praising her team's resilience following the game.
“We're a resilient group,” Staley said. “I just think our team has been through so much. They're unshakable. They're unflappable. Our conference gives us a lot of confidence to be able to be in a tight-knit game, and find a way to win cause that's what it's about at this stage of the game.”
Free throws make the difference
Maryland averaged 22.72 free throw attempts per game this season, the sixth highest in the country, while making nearly 77% of its attempts.
After a first half that saw South Carolina pick up nine fouls, the Gamecocks did a better job of playing without fouling, committing just six in the second half. Paopao, Feagin and sophomore guard Tessa Johnson all picked up two fouls in the first half.
South Carolina ended up shooting 15 free throws in the second half and connected on 12 of them. In the entire contest, the Gamecocks would make 17, while the Terrapins would make 13.
Bench shows out again
This season, South Carolina leads the country in bench points with the Gamecocks averaging 41.5 bench points per game, 10 more than the team in second place.
Today would be no different for South Carolina, as it scored 40 points off the bench compared to just 14 by Maryland.
“Our bench, they do a really great job when they are inserted into the game,” Staley said. “It's important, you cannot win a national championship without having depth.”
Defense locks in
While both teams spent much of the game trading baskets, the South Carolina defense was able to get timely stops towards the end of the game, allowing itself some vital breathing room.
Maryland took a 60-59 lead with just a little over three minutes left in the game. However, South Carolina held the Terrapins to a two and half minute scoring drought that included three turnovers from Maryland.
“In the game, we just realized our highs and lows,” Kitts said. “Towards the end of the game we came together and we knew what we had to do, and that was locking in on defense.”
What’s next?
The Gamecocks will take on Duke in the Birmingham regional final on Sunday for a spot in the 2025 Final Four. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ABC.