Defending nationwide champion South Carolina left little doubt it might return to the title recreation, getting 14 factors from Te-Hina Paopao and overwhelming Texas 74-57 on Friday evening within the Remaining 4 of the ladies’s NCAA Match.
The Gamecocks are a win away from turning into the primary workforce to safe consecutive titles since UConn received 4 straight from 2013-16.
Freshman Joyce Edwards added 13 factors, 11 rebounds and 6 assists for South Carolina (35-3), which used its expertise and poise to climate an early deficit and took management with its depth at each ends of the ground.
Three South Carolina gamers completed in double figures – Bree Corridor had 11 factors – and the Gamecocks dominated Texas within the submit with 40 factors within the paint to the Longhorns’ 22.
Madison Booker had 11 factors and three fouls for the Longhorns (35-4), who had been attempting to succeed in their first championship since 1986. They had been within the Remaining 4 for the primary time since 2003 after a dominant season, which was their first within the Southeastern Convention after coming over from the Large 12.
Texas went 15-1 in opposition to the SEC within the common season and shared the convention title with the Gamecocks.
South Carolina broke open the sport within the third quarter with an 11-0 run began by Edwards’ driving layup, and Texas by no means acquired nearer than 10 the remainder of the best way.
The Longhorns couldn’t match South Carolina’s tempo as the sport went on. They solely scored 9 factors within the third, together with dangerous mid-range misses from Booker and Harmon. Harmon, a senior who returned this season from an ACL damage final 12 months, completed with eight factors. Jordan Lee led Texas with 16 factors off the bench.
South Carolina went undefeated throughout a dominant championship run final 12 months that featured a bodily roster no opponent might match up with. This 12 months’s journey to the ultimate has been barely more difficult.
And not using a star like A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston or 6ft 7in middle Kamilla Cardoso – who led the Gamecocks on their earlier title runs – they’ve relied on a dynamic rotation to succeed in their third championship recreation in 4 years.
South Carolina leads the nation in bench factors and acquired 35 factors from its reserves on Friday, together with 9 factors from Tessa Johnson and 7 from Milaysia Fulwiley. Former South Carolina greats Wilson, Boston and Allisha Grey cheered them on from the stands.
Booker went to the bench with about three minutes left within the first quarter after selecting up two fouls. That allowed South Carolina to climb out of a 12-4 gap earlier than the SEC participant of the 12 months got here again late within the second, made a free throw and checked again out after selecting up her third foul. The Gamecocks outscored Texas by 13 with Booker on the bench and took a 38-35 half-time lead.
This was the groups’ fourth assembly this season – the seventeenth time two ladies’s groups have confronted one another that many instances in a single season, in response to Stats Carry out. As first-time convention opponents, they break up the regular-season sequence, with every workforce successful on its residence courtroom, earlier than the Gamecocks blew out Texas within the SEC Match championship.
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