How South Carolina outlasted Duke to advance to its fifth straight Ultimate 4

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Duke tried to pull South Carolina to their hell. The Gamecocks received to the gates, tied with underneath 5 minutes to play of their lowest-scoring efficiency of the season, then wriggled out of the Blue Devils’ grasp.

Like hashbrowns at Waffle Home, Duke had South Carolina smothered, lined and scattered. The Blue Devils led within the fourth quarter, and by as a lot as six factors within the third quarter. The Gamecocks turned the ball over 16 instances and had been outrebounded by 11. The Blue Devils had them cornered.

Nevertheless it didn’t matter.

As a result of that is March.

And within the third month of the yr, Daybreak Staley’s staff is inevitable.

Over the previous six seasons, they’re now 40-2 in March — a profitable proportion of 95.2. Worrying about South Carolina profitable in March is like questioning if the solar goes to return up. It’s a certain factor. This staff that Staley has constructed is an indestructible machine.

South Carolina can’t even be in comparison with the Dying Star. There isn’t a hidden fault of their system, no secret plan to defeat them, and there’s no Luke Skywalker able to find such a defect and blowing it up.

And so, with out being armed with a basketball-playing-Jedi, Duke misplaced. Sure, the sport was extremely shut. And sure, the closest factor Duke has to that form of participant — ACC Rookie of the Yr Toby Fournier — was inexplicably on the bench when the Blue Devils had the ball down two factors with 29 seconds to play. However South Carolina wished it extra. The Gamecocks by no means backed down from Duke’s oppressive protection. When the sport mattered most, South Carolina’s veterans stepped up.

For the fifth straight season, and for the seventh time in program historical past, South Carolina goes to the Ultimate 4. The reigning champs — girls’s basketball’s Goliath — bested Duke 54-50 in Birmingham’s Legacy Area on Sunday in entrance of an introduced crowd of 11,252 followers, most of them cheering loudly for the Gamecocks in garnet and black.

South Carolina’s level whole is the second-lowest this system has ever scored in an NCAA match sport, and their lowest in any sport since 2022, after they notched 49 factors in a second-round win over Miami.

Senior ahead Sania Feagin had 12 factors, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Gamecocks and related on a handful of well timed pictures when the sport was tight. Junior ahead Chloe Kitts knocked down the game-sealing free throws with 5 seconds left en path to a team-high 14 factors.

“I simply made my free throws when it mattered,” Kitts mentioned.

Between these free throws, Bree Corridor injected confidence in Kitts by screaming at her: “You’re unshakeable! You’re unshakeable! You bought this!”

Picture by Sarah Stier/Getty Photographs

This wasn’t a sport the place MiLaysia Fulwiley got here off the bench to avoid wasting the day for South Carolina as she did within the Candy 16 towards Maryland. The star spark-plug sophomore with a Curry Model endorsement deal completed with 5 factors and 4 turnovers in 11 minutes of play.

Now, when Duke turned the warmth up and put the clamps on the Gamecocks, the sport became one which solely appeared to be match for South Carolina’s older guard, a bunch of juniors and seniors that included Feagin, Kitts, Raven Johnson, Corridor and Te-Hina Paopao — every of whom performed north of half-hour.

When Duke took its six-point lead within the third quarter — which appeared insurmountable on this rockfight of a sport — it was Paopao who met the second, flattening back-to-back mid-range jumpers. She then flushed two free throws on the finish of the body to chop Duke’s benefit to 4 factors.

“She was actually massive,” Feagin mentioned of Paopao. “Each time I handed it to her I mentioned, ‘Don’t be afraid to shoot that mid-range. They ship two to you or to me, don’t be afraid to shoot that mid-range.’”

After which Kitts and Feagin went to work within the fourth quarter, flourishing in-tandem within the put up. The forwards mixed for 12 factors and 4 rebounds within the sport’s ultimate 10 minutes. They had been a part of a defensive unit that pressured Duke’s Ashlon Jackson right into a tough 3-point try that missed the mark within the waning moments of the sport. After Kitts’ free throws, Feagin stole a cross from Reigan Richardson with 4 seconds to go that put the win on ice.

Picture by Carmen Mandato/Getty Photographs

There’s an alternate universe during which Duke’s Fournier is on the ground for the Blue Devils’ final significant offensive possession, however Blue Devils’ coach Kara Lawson took her out in favor of a guard, Taina Mair. Fournier completed with 18 factors and was having success ending towards the Gamecocks within the pick-and-roll. The Blue Devils had beforehand been 10-0 when Fournier scored that many factors.

However alas, she wasn’t on the court docket. So Duke settled for Jackson’s long-range jumper.

“Only a coach’s choice,” Lawson mentioned of not having Fournier on the ground with 29 seconds to play. “Went with the ball in Ashlon’s fingers. She had been making performs for us within the fourth quarter out of the ball display. She tried to make a play and simply missed it.”

Lawson added of her staff: “I believed they did an ideal job executing the sport plan… We actually wished to restrict their second-chance alternatives, too. They’ve actually athletic front-court gamers they usually solely received 5 second-chance factors… They competed as laborious as they might.”

It didn’t matter. It’s March. This time of the yr belongs to South Carolina.

After dropping to the Gamecocks by 4 factors on Friday within the Candy 16, Maryland coach Brenda Frese provided this: “I believe we gave a reasonably good blueprint on the way to beat South Carolina, to be fairly sincere, for the groups shifting ahead.”

However that is simply wishful considering. There isn’t a blueprint. Maryland didn’t draw one up and Duke didn’t both. South Carolina allowed each of these groups to impose their wills on the sport and beat them in any case. Excessive-scoring or low-scoring, sloppy or easy, South Carolina goes to win in March most of the time.

“A few of it’s not going to look as easily as us coaches and gamers envision or the way you apply, however you definitely should get down and play the sort of sport that’s offered in entrance of you, and we’ll try this,” Staley mentioned.

Kitts had the right rebuttal to Frese: “On the finish of the day, they misplaced. So like, did you do the blueprint or did you not? As a result of when you did the blueprint, you’ll have received.”

Certainly.

Even when the Terrapins or Blue Devils deserved to win, deserved has nothing to do with it. Duke and Maryland wished it to be a technique, nevertheless it’s the opposite means, as a result of it’s March the place the sport is similar, however extra fierce — and excellent for South Carolina.

And when you come on the Gamecocks, you greatest not miss.