After a major scare, Dawn Staley and South Carolina are still dancing. The Gamecocks overcame a seven-point deficit and a very close fourth quarter to win 71-67 and advance to the Elite Eight.
The game came down to the wire, with the two teams staying within a few points throughout most of the final quarter. But South Carolina held off Maryland in the final two minutes, even as the Terrapins got back within as few as three points.
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The defending champs stayed alive behind a huge 23-point performance off the bench from MiLaysia Fulwiley, who hit wild contested shots and drove the Gamecocks’ momentum in transition.
Both teams got off to a sleepy start: In a low-scoring first quarter, Chloe Kitts and Fulwiley were the only two Gamecocks to get any points on the board. Maryland pulled ahead to a narrow 33-31 lead heading into halftime, and began to grow that lead in the third quarter. But South Carolina began to march back, going on a big run to erase a seven-point deficit. Things stayed tight throughout the fourth quarter, with the two teams trading leads.
In the final minute, with South Carolina up four points, the game came down to a fingertip. After an out-of-bounds ball had been ruled Maryland’s possession, a successful challenge from Staley overturned the call, with the referees finding that the ball had grazed Kaylene Smikle’s fingertip while she was out of bounds.
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A pair of free throws from Kitts gave the Gamecocks a six-point lead. But Maryland’s Saylor Poffenbarger hit a beautiful 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game with 25 seconds left.
A handful of free throws and a crucial turnover from Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers, who let the ball slip right through her fingers after the inbound, sealed the deal for South Carolina. Even a foul on Fulwiley with 0.5 seconds on the clock — which the officials called after Staley and Maryland head coach Brenda Frese had already started shaking hands — and the ensuing extra possession couldn’t stop the Gamecocks from taking the win.
Fulwiley drove South Carolina throughout the second half, but it was Kitts who helped the Gamecocks stay alive in the first. Kitts finished with a double-double, dropping 15 points (with 10 in the first quarter) and 11 rebounds.
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Maryland put up its best shot, with four Terrapins finishing with double-digits points. Smikle and Sarah Te-Biasu ended with 17 and 12 points, while Allie Kubek, who fouled out halfway through the fourth quarter, ended with 12 points as well. But the team’s small mistakes, including multiple botched inbounds plays, were what doomed the Terps in the end.
South Carolina will now face Duke, who beat North Carolina in a relatively dull rivalry matchup earlier on Friday, in the Elite Eight on Sunday.