After a back-and-forth struggle in the first half, the Gamecocks put the hammer down in the third quarter, outscoring NC State 29-6 in the period to sew up a berth in the National Championship Game with 78-59 victory in Cleveland, Oh., Friday.
South Carolina fans held their collective breath when Kamilla Cardoso limped off into the locker room after taking a tumble near the end of the second quarter. Cardoso returned to action, however, finishing with 22 points and allowing the Gamecocks supporters to exhale. Cardoso came out with 1:57 left in the third quarter and head coach Dawn Staley elected to rest her for the rest of the game.
In her postgame comments, Staley indicated that Cardoso is not badly injured and will be available for the Championship Game. The All-SEC center carried USC for stretches, scoring 12 of South Carolina’s 16 second-quarter points. “We play to our strengths and Kamilla (Cardoso) is one of our strengths,” Staley said. “She’s big, she’s agile and she can command the paint.”
NC State landed its share of blows in the first two quarters and were within a point at intermission. But the Gamecocks looked every bit the nation’s no. 1 team in the third quarter, showcasing a suffocating defense and crisp ball movement while building a 19-point lead. The Wolfpack was held to 1 of 11 shooting from the field in the third and never closed to within single digits again as USC coasted to the final buzzer.
South Carolina’s depth played a factor as USC finished with a 30-12 advantage in bench scoring. Staley said of her reserves, “When their number is called, they come through. It’s a luxury.” The Gamecocks also dominated the boards (46-32), led by Ashlyn Watkins, who came off the bench to grab 20 rebounds.
One area where USC didn’t dominate was in drawing fouls. The Gamecocks shot just four free throws while NC State shot 18. Staley declined to comment on the officiating, “I don’t think we control that. We can control ball-screen defense, how we executive offensively and getting after loose balls. We just focus on what we can control.”
South Carolina (37-0) returns to the Championship Game for the third time under Staley, including title-clinching victories in 2017 and 2022. USC hasn’t tasted defeat since falling to Iowa, 77-73, in last year’s National Semifinal. The Gamecocks will get their chance for revenge when they square off with the Hawkeyes with the National Championship on the line at 3 p.m., Sunday.
Final Stats
Postgame press conference with Dawn Staley, Te-Hina Paopao
and Ashlyn Watkins
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