#1-USC 78 — #3-TCU 52 (Game Summary)
- After struggling to separate from TCU through the first three quarters of their “Elite Eight” contest with the Horned Frogs on Monday night, the Gamecocks stormed their way into Phoenix with a superb fourth quarter. Carolina outscored TCU 29-11 in that decisive final ten minutes to earn its sixth straight trip to the “Final Four.”
- It will be a rematch of last year’s national championship game in Tampa as the Gamecocks and UConn Huskies will meet in one semifinal on Friday. The Huskies rolled to another championship last year with a 82-59 win over USC. Texas and UCLA will compete in the other national semifinal in Phoenix
- Monday’s game didn’t start off as easily for USC as its first three tournament games in which the Gamecocks outscored Southern, Southern Cal, and Oklahoma 41-0 in the opening minutes. This time, TCU threw the first punch, grabbing a 12-6 lead at the first media timeout
- However, USC finished the first quarter on a 14-2 run to grab a 16-14 lead. Joyce Edwards led the Gamecocks with 6 points, while Olivia Miles tossed in seven for TCU
- The top-seeded Gamecocks upped that advantage before halftime by outscoring the #3-seed 19-13 in the second quarter. Edwards continued to assert herself at the high post, scoring 8 points in the period. Raven Johnson also chipped in eight as the Gamecocks shot 53% from the field. The Horned Frogs were a little more balanced in the second quarter as five players cracked the scoring column. But a 5-of-16 shooting performance from the floor allowed the Gamecocks to open up a 35-27 advantage at the break
- Both teams put their defenses on display in the third quarter. In a matchup featuring two top ten field goal percentage defenses, the teams were a combined 9-of-34 from the field (26%) in the third quarter. The 14-14 draw kept the USC advantage at eight, going into the fourth quarter
- The Gamecocks opened the final stanza determined to put the game away, and put it away they did. USC outscored TCU 14-0 to begin the period, opening a 24-point lead midway through the quarter. Tessa Johnson, who was held scoreless through the first three quarters, exploded for eleven points in the quarter to spark USC’s attack. Johnson was 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point range to eclipse 1,000 career points
- Johnson was one of four Gamecocks who finished in double figures, led by Edwards (24), Makeer (18), and Raven Johnson (10). Raven was also named the regional “Most Outstanding Player”.
- Olivia Miles led the way for TCU with 18 points
- As a team, USC dominated the backboards, outrebounding TCU 52-24, earning a 21-6 edge in second-chance points. Makeer’s effort helped USC’s bench blow out TCU’s reserves to the tune of 46-28
