The No. 1 seed South Carolina women's basketball team defeated No. 1 seed Texas 74-57 in the Final Four at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, to advance to the National Championship game on Friday night. The Gamecocks picked up a third win against the Longhorns, and the second in postseason play.
"We'll tip our hats to Texas," Staley said. "It's unfortunate that someone had to take a loss, but I'm glad that the SEC is represented in the national championship game."
The Gamecocks got off to a slow start in the first quarter trailing 12-4. Texas sophomore forward Madison Booker began the game 3-3 (100%) from the field for 6 quick points all from the midrange. South Carolina turned the ball over four times early while shooting just 2-8 (25%) from the field.
Staley went to her bench midway through the quarter, a decision that looked fruitful as the Gamecocks cut the deficit to 19-18 by the end of the quarter. Staley's bench scored 14 of the 18 first quarter points, led by 6 from freshman forward Joyce Edwards.
The second quarter proved to be back and forth where neither team led by more than 3 points at any time. Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao lifted the energy in the building with a pair of threes in the second quarter as the Gamecocks led 38-35 entering the half.
Both teams shot the ball exceptionally well in the first half. The Gamecocks shot 14-28 (50%) while making three out of four 3-point attempts and going 7-8 from the free-throw line. Paopao and Edwards led the team with 8 points apiece. Texas shot 13-26 (50%) on the other hand, while freshman guard Jordan Lee paced the Longhorns with 10 points.
South Carolina began to separate itself early in the third quarter as senior guard Bree Hall got involved with 5 quick points during the quarter. South Carolina looked more and more comfortable in the half court as the game progressed, leading 49-41 with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Gamecocks began the quarter shooting 5-9 (56%) from the field while out rebounding Texas 7-2 in the span.
The Gamecocks forced a Texas timeout with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter when Joyce Edwards went coast-to-coast on a rebound for a transition layup to extend the lead 54-41. The Longhorns missed six of its seven shots all while not scoring for over three minutes.
South Carolina entered the final frame leading 58-44 after sophomore guard Tessa Johnson knocked down a pair of midrange buckets. Texas shot a dismal 4-14 (29%) in the third quarter while the Gamecocks shot 9-16 (56%) from the floor.
Texas got some slight momentum to begin the fourth quarter after Lee knocked down her third 3-pointer of the night to make it 58-48. Paopao quickly quieted the Texas crowd with a 3-pointer of her own on the next possession, her third from beyond the arc on the night.
Freshman guard Maddy McDaniel and freshman forward Adhel Tac checked in with 1:14 left in the game. Tac put in a layup and junior forward Maryam Dauda sunk a 3-pointer to put the finishing touches on a 74-57 victory to send the Gamecocks to the championship game.
Edwards responds to the call
Through the previous three games of the NCAA Tournament, Edwards had struggled to make her mark with only 13 total points against Indiana, Maryland and Duke combined. Leading the team in scoring at 12.7 per game, Staley challenged her freshman phenom ahead of the Final Four.
"We need her," Staley said. "If we're going to win a national championship we need better production from Joyce."
Edwards scored 13 points, matching her total output from the three previous games, while getting 11 rebounds and six assists, both game-high outputs from both teams in those categories. Edwards said it felt comforting to get over that hump.
"I feel like I was just more definitive, more open-minded, just taking what the game gave me," Edwards said. "Not overthinking, not second-guessing, just going."
Limiting the impact of Booker
Booker came out of the gate looking ready to have one of her best nights for the Longhorns when she started 3-3 from the field, unbothered by the outstretched contest of Hall in the midrange. After that hot start, she looked like a shell of herself, shooting 2-8 for the rest of the game and only scoring 11 total points on the night. Booker didn't make a field goal after the 7:10 mark of the third quarter.
Staley said it is a clear-cut point of emphasis for her defense to hone in on Booker.
"Madison Booker is a tremendous player. A lot of what we've done, when we've had to scheme for her, is for her," Staley said. "She carries a heavy load of their scoring."
Booker, the SEC Player of the Year this season as a 16.1 point-per-game scorer, picked up her third foul with 2:30 left in the first half, throwing off the Texas offense when she wasn't on the floor. When she was playing, she wasn't giving the same impact as her early start. Hall, the primary defender on Booker, was relieved she was able to contain the Texas star.
"She started off hot, you got to give her credit. That pull up is something serious," Hall said. "I'm just really glad that I stuck with it. It wasn't just me, I got to give some credit to Tessa for sure."
Bench carried the early weight
The Gamecocks went down 12-4 with 5:19 left in the first quarter. At that mark, Staley put her bench to work early, giving sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley and Dauda the opportunity to provide a spark. Edwards and Johnson followed shortly after, providing the spark the team needed to get through the early rough patch.
"It's something that we shouldn't be used to, but we are used to it," Paopao said. "We played great defense, but they were just making better shots."
The bench group leading the team out of the early rut was symbolic of the whole game. To add to Edwards showing out in the stat sheet, Johnson scored 9 points, shooting 3-7 from the field. Fulwiley brought 7 points and three assists to the table herself. The bench scored 35 of the 74 points for South Carolina, much more on-brand than the Elite Eight win against Duke.
"Our bench, I mean, we have the best bench in the country, like I don't care what anybody says," Hall said.
What's next?
The Gamecocks will play in the National Championship game against the UConn Huskies on Sunday afternoon at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ABC.